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THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

RIVERSIDE 


i 


THE  RHINE 

FROM   ITS   SOURCE   TO   THE   SEA 


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]6ntvance  to  tbe  Dia  /iDala,  Swit^erlauD, 


THE    RHINE 

FROM   ITS  SOURCE  TO  THE  SEA 


TRANSLATED    BY 

G.  C.  T.  BARTLEY 


FROM  THE  GERMAN  OF 

KARli   STIELER,  H.  WACHENHUSEN 
A^D  F.  W.  HACKLANDER 


NEW  EDITION,  REVISED  AND  CORRECTED 


VOL.   1. 


ILLUSTRATED 


PHILADELPHIA 
HENRY  T.  COATES  &  CO. 

1899 


f  S'li' 


V. 


Copyright,  189S,  by 
HENRY  T.  COAXES  &  CO. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

Introductory = 1 

By  KARL  STIELER. 

CHAP.  I.    The  Source  of  the  Rhine, 5 

II.    The  Youth  of  the  Rhine, 19 

III.  Lake  Constance, 35 

IV.  Constance, 53 

V.    Schaffhausen, 73 

VI.  Basle,       83 

VII.  Breisoau, 101 

VIII.  The  Vosges  Country, Ill 

IX.  Strasburg, 126 

X.  The  Convent  of  St.  Odille, 138 

XI.  The  Black  Forest, 145 

XII.  Baden-Baden, 154 

XIII.  The  Pfalz, 165 

XIV.  Heidelberg, 177 

XV.  The  Bergstrasse  and  the  Odenwald,    .    .    .  195 

XVI.   Worms,     211 

By  HANS   WACHENHUSEN. 

XVII.  Mayence  the  Golden, 224 

XVIir.  Biebrich, 241 

XIX.  Wiesbaden,     247 

XX.  An  Excursion  to  the  Taunus, 259 

XXI.  Frankfurt  and  Homburg, 269 

XXII.  The  Rheingau,     282 

(v) 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

VOLUME  I. 


»  PAGE 

Entrance  to  the  Via  Mala,  Switzerland,    .    .    .  Frontispiece 

The  Via  Mala,  Switzerland, 16 

Baths  of  Pfaffers, 24 

The  Tamina  River  at  Ragatz, 32 

The  Rhine  Gate,  Constance, 53 

The  Concilium  Saal  (Tow'n  Hall)  Constance,     ....      68 

The  Rhinefall  at  Schaffhausen, 80 

Basle,  Switzerland, 90 

The  Spahlenthor,  Basle, 98 

Market-Place  and  Katjfhaus,  Freiburg,  Germany,    .    109 

City  Gate,  Strasburg, 129 

Cottage  in  the  Black  Forest, 148 

Entrance  to  the  Old  Castle,  Baden-Baden, 15G 

Conversation  House,  Baden-Baden 163 

The  Court  Yard,  Heidelberg  Castle, 179 

Valley  of  the  Neckar,  from  Heidelberg,     191 

Neckarsteinach, 203 

Market-Place,  Mayence, 225 

The  Cathedral  from  the  Market-Place,  Mayence,   .    235 

Kurhaus  Gardens,  Wiesbaden 257 

Cargo  Boat  on  the  Rhine, 282 

Grape  Arbor  in  the  Anlagen, 293 

(vii) 


THE    RHINE. 


INTRODUCTORY. 

The  great  rivers  of  the  world  must  have  added  a 
charm  to  Nature  even  in  the  first  era  of  Creation. 
The  summits  of  mountains  are  dumb,  and  icy  repose 
ever  dwells  in  their  heights  ;  but  in  the  flowing  tide 
there  is  endless  change,  and  the  dashing  water  sug- 
gests strength  and  eternity. 

It  was  a  sublime  moment  in  the  world's  history 
when  man  for  the  first  time  subdued  the  stormy 
wave,  and  compelled  the  current  to  carry  far  and 
wide  his  power  and  his  thoughts.  The  rivers  were 
the  original  boundaries  of  nations,  and  their  beds 
were  sacred ;  within  their  depths  dwelt  gods,  and  the 
destinies  of  mankind  were  determined  on  their  banks. 
Thus  have  rivers  become,  as  it  were,  the  fundamental 
lines  of  the  world's  history,  and  the  guides  of  every 
great  hero.  The  poet,  however,  looks  deeper,  and 
makes  the  river  the  symbol  of  life.  He  watches  it 
as  it  struggles  forth,  the  rivulet  of  youth,  emerging 
gradually  into  the  broad  energy  of  manhood,  and 
finally  losing  its  individuality  in  the  ocean  of  the 
community.  He  sees  in  it  the  image  of  turbulent 
Vol.  I.— 1  (  1  ) 


2  THE  RHINE. 

passion,  and  of  the  thousand  obstacles  which  bar  the 
road  of  life  between  the  beginning  and  the  end. 

' '  A  life  lived  loveless  ta  its  end 

Is  like  a  stream  in  sandy  ground, 
Spent  and  dried  up  before  it  found 
The  sea,  that  goal  to  which  streams  tend." 

Foremost  among  rivers  is  the  Rhine,  which,  even 
two  thousand  years  ago,  was  a  watchword  among 
nations.  Its  banks  were  impressed  with  the  foot- 
prints of  Caesar's  legions  and  Attila's  cavalry  ;  and 
centuries  later,  accompanied  by  a  rejoicing  people. 
King  Conrad  descended  the  Rhine  to  Mainz  for  his 
coronation. 

Legend  also  has  grown  as  luxuriantly  as  History 
on  the  banks  of  the  Rhine.  As  the  ivy  clings  to  the 
old  castle  walls,  so  do  traditions  fasten  themselves  to 
actual  events.  On  the  Rhine  stood  the  Castle  of  the 
Niebelungen,  and  on  the  Rhine  the  Lorelei  sang. 
What  country  can  compare  in  richness  to  that  through 
which  the  Rhine  flows,  from  the  snow-clad  Alps  down 
to  the  very  sea  in  which  it  is  lost  ? 

Here  lay  the  cities  of  the  old  empire  and  the  great 
seats  of  ecclesiastical  pomp,  which  lavished  as  reck- 
lessly as  they  grasped  all  that  came  within  their 
power.  Both  wished  to  proclaim  afar  their  magnifi- 
cence ;  and  to  do  so  minsters  and  cathedrals  were 
built,  so  that  when  the  traveller  towards  evening 
dragged  on  his  weary  way,  he  would  see  from  afar 
the  slender  tower,  and  cry  with  joy  to  his  companion, 


INTKODUCTORY.  3 

"  Yonder  is  Strasburg  !"  Out  of  the  morning  mist, 
also,  the  marinei',  who  had  come  down  the  Rhine  over- 
night, would  see  the  dark  mass  of  the  Cathedral  of 
Cologne  rise  before  him  like  a  ship,  but  built  with 
stone  flanks  and  stone  masts. 

Indeed,  who  does  not  feel  the  wealth  that  lies  in 
the  words  "  The  Rhine,"  the  wealth  of  Nature  and 
of  Art,  of  History  and  of  Legend,  of  old  and  new 
life? 


THE  EHLNE. 


THE  RHINE  SONG. 

"  The  Khine  !     That  little  word  will  be 
For  aye  a  spell  of  power  to  me, 
And  conjure  up,  in  care's  despite, 
A  thousand  visions  of  delight : 
The  Ehine  !     Oh  !  where  beneath  the  sun 
Doth  our  fair  river's  rival  run  ? 
Where  dawns  the  day  upon  a  stream 

Can  in  such  changeful  beauty  shine. 
Outstripping  Fancy's  wildest  dream, 

Like  our  green  glancing,  glorious  Rhine  ? 

"Born  where  blooms  the  Alpine  rose, 

Cradled  in  the  Bodensee, 
Forth  the  infant  river  flows. 

Leaping  on  in  childish  glee. 
Coming  to  a  riper  age, 

He  crowns  his  rocky  cup  with  wine, 
And  makes  a  gallant  pilgrimage 

To  many  a  ruined  tower  and  shrine. 
Strong,  and  swift,  and  M'ild,  and  brave, 
On  he  speeds  with  crested  wave ; 
And  spurning  aught  like  check  or  stay. 
Fights  and  foams  along  his  way 
O'er  crag  and  shoal  until  his  flood 
Boils  like  manhood's  hasty  blood." 

— Planche. 


THE  SOURCE  OF  THE  RHINE. 


CHAPTER   I. 

THE    SOURCE   OF    THE   RHINE. 

Hark  !  what  is  that  trickling  amidst  the  icy  waste 
that  surrounds  us  ?  We  have  ascended,  through  the 
valley,  past  the  last  house  and  the  last  tree.  Higher 
and  higher  we  mount,  clinging  close  to  the  narrow 
path ;  but  now  the  goal  is  reached,  and  the  Rhein- 
wald  Glacier  lies  before  vis  in  regal  majesty. 

We  gaze  breathless — so  vast  is  this  gigantic  white 
wall  on  which  our  eyes  rest ;  the  clouds  which  pass 
slowly  over  the  peaks  give  a  dignity  and  a  depth  of 
coloring  to  the  huge  masses ;  but  in  the  midst,  in  the 
wall  of  the  glacier,  is  a  small  fissure,  and  from  it  a 
slender  thread  of  water  breaks  forth,  white  and  foam- 
ing, and  leaps  joyously  to  the  earth.  This  is  the 
Rhine.  Now  that  it  has  seen  the  warm  light  which 
never  penetrates  to  the  depths  of  the  glacier ;  now 
that  it  has  once  touched  the  blessed  soil  of  Mother 
Earth,  it  will  stay  and  wander  for  hundreds  of  miles, 
until  from  the  recesses  of  the  mountains  it  returns  to 
the  bosom  of  the  sea. 

The  Rhine,  as  is  well  known,  is  formed  of  two 
principal  arms,  the  Upper  and  the  Lower  Rhine, 
which  unite  at  Reichnau.     A  third  and  smaller  arm. 


6  THE  EHINE. 

which  rises  at  Lukmanier  and  empftes  itself  at  Dis- 
sentis,  is  described  as  the  Middle  Rhine.  But  this 
branch  is  unimportant,  so  far  as  historic  and  artistic 
interest  is  concerned. 

We  will  begin  with  the  Lower  Rhine.  It  has  its 
source  close  by  where  we  stand.  What  an  heroic 
future  has  its  birth  here ;  what  an  amount  of  life 
hangs  on  this  silver  thread !  This  rivulet,  the  future 
Rhine,  has  torn  itself  free  from  its  lonely  home.  It 
will  glide  farther  and  farther,  while,  in  mute  sUence, 
the  giant  mountain  gazes  after  it  as  it  flows  away. 
The  cleft  in  the  glacier-side  gapes  like  a  wound  in 
its  breast  through  which  its  life  is  ebbing. 

The  enigma  of  birth,  of  the  pain  of  parting,  and 
the  rapture  of  freedom,  are  embodied  here  on  this 
solitary  plain. 

The  course  of  the  Lower  Rhine  is  altogether  as 
wonderful  as  its  origin ;  its  path  is,  perhaps,  the 
wildest  that  ever  led  from  the  mountains  to  the 
valley.  Who  does  not  know  the  sombre  name  of  the 
Via  Mala  f 

In  Holland,  where  this  same  river  flows  broad  and 
majestic,  it  is  the  custom  to  ask  a  young  man  who 
is  a  candidate  for  an  office,  or  an  aspirant  for  a 
maiden's  hand,  whether  he  has  "  sown  his  wild  oats  ;" 
and  when  this  question  is  answered  in  the  affirma- 
tive, it  is  taken  as  the  security  for  an  earnest,  active 
life.  And  thus  it  is  with  the  Rhine  :  a  wild,  stormy 
youth  precedes  the  wonderful,  active  work  which  it 


THE  SOUKCE  OF  THE  RHINE.  7 

accomplishes  for  the  culture  of  mankind — its  course 
through  the  ravine  of  the  Grisons  is  not  a  journey, 
but  a  torrent,  a  cataract — it  is  "  sowing  its  wild 
oats." 

At  the  very  beginning  of  its  course,  scarcely  half 
a  mile  distant  from  its  source,  the  battle  of  the  young 
stream  with  the  old  boulders  may  be  seen  in  very 
earnest ;  the  river  is  hurled  precipitously  into  an 
abyss  of  yawning  depth  5  the  rocks  cover  it,  it  has 
vanished,  it  is  buried — choked.  It  looks  almost  as 
if  the  rocks  would  imprison  it  anew  just  when  it  has 
escaped.  The  thunder  of  its  roar  echoes  above  as  it 
wrestles  for  life  and  for  freedom.  But  it  cuts  its  way 
victoriously  through ;  and,  as  the  infant  Hercules 
strangled  the  two  snakes,  so  has  the  Rhine  in  its 
cradle  conquered  the  two  great  powers  that  en- 
dangered its  existence,  namely,  Ice  and  Rock. 

Its  childhood  is  an  augur  of  its  giant  future.  Even 
the  names  Avhich  accompany  its  origin  have  a  mystic 
grandeur,  for  the  mountain  plain  which  lies  opposite 
the  source  of  the  Lower  Rhine  is  called  "  Paradise," 
and  the  abyss  into  which  it  falls  is  called  "  Hell." 

The  first  elevated  plain  through  which  the  Rhine 
flows  is  called  the  Rheinwald  Valley,  and  the  first  vil- 
lage we  meet  with  bears  the  name  of  the  young 
stream.  In  spite  of  the  lofty  and  rugged  situation, 
we  are  surrounded  by  the  most  beautiful  woods  of  fir 
and  larch.  The  inhabitants  claim  to  be  descended 
from  the  time  of  Barbarossa,  who  colonized  the  valley 


8  THE  EHINE. 

with  Germans  in  order  to  guard  the  old  military  road 
over  the  Alps.  But  much  more  remote  traces  of 
human  life  are  found,  for  in  places  where  the  earth 
has  been  washed  and  worn  away  by  the  elements, 
primitive  household  utensils  have  been  discovered ; 
and  in  one  spot,  which  is  more  fuUy  exposed,  a  Roman 
temple  must  have  stood.  In  fact,  it  is  believed  that 
the  glacier  in  the  Rheinwald  Valley  has  considerably 
increased  in  the  course  of  centuries,  and  that  the  cli- 
mate was  formerly  much  milder  than  it  is  now.  There 
have  been  found  nests  of  birds  which  have  not  built 
there  within  the  memory  of  man.  Swallows  and  jays 
have  migrated  forever ;  only  the  sparrow-hawk,  gray 
as  the  rock  on  which  it  builds  its  eyrie,  circles  in  fitful 
flight  high  over  our  heads  ;  only  the  rock-falcon  pecks 
and  flits  and  skims  shyly  away  when  it  becomes  aware 
of  the  presence  of  man. 

Out  of  this  solitude  we  step  on  to  the  next  lower 
plateau  into  the  Schamser  VaUey,  through  which  the 
celebrated  Spliigen  Pass  leads  from  Chur  to  Chia- 
venna.  It  was  opened  in  1822.  The  most  remark- 
able point  in  it  is  the  ravine,  which  reaches  from 
Andeer  to  Rongella.  Here  the  ominous  words  Via 
Mala  become  a  reality. 

The  powers  of  Nature  which  were  active  enough 
here  centuries  ago  to  tear  a  yawning  cleft  in  the  close 
waU  of  rock,  inspire  us,  even  at  the  present  day,  with 
thoughts  of  terror.  The  stone  walls  rise  precipitously 
for  two  thousand  feet,  and  sink  perpendicularly  an 


THE  SOURCE  OF  THE  RHINE.  9 

equal  dist<ance  from  the  road ;  the  space  between  is 
so  narrow  that  it  seems  as  though  the  rocks  on  either 
side  could  be  grasped  by  the  hand.  This  gaping  slit 
reaches  for  miles,  going  straight  through  the  moun- 
tain mass,  and  is  the  only  foot-path  for  those  living 
on  either  side. 

The  sky  hangs  heavy  above,  the  river  foams  be- 
neath. For  four  centui'ies  men  wearied  themselves 
with  seeking  an  answer  to  the  question  as  to  how  a 
road  was  to  be  made  through  this  rugged  pass.  The 
rocks  were  blasted,  the  river  bridged,  and,  wherever 
avalanches  threatened,  substantial  galleries  were  built, 
under  which,  at  the  present  time,  the  heavily-laden 
mail  rushes  with  its  jingling  team. 

Formerly  intercourse  was  carried  on  almost  entirely 
by  means  of  pack-horses,  four  hundred  of  which  often 
came  through  the  village  of  Spliigen  in  the  course  of 
a  week.  Then  small  carts  with  low  broad  wheels 
were  built ;  but  more  than  one  of  these  broke  through 
the  slender  hand-rail  and  were  hurled  into  the 
abyss. 

Fancy  runs  riot  on  this  dismal  road,  and  we  unwil- 
lingly give  belief  to  the  dark  fables  which  surround 
it.  Often,  indeed,  they  have  an  historical  foundation 
in  the  mortal  struggles  with  which  the  Grisons  strove 
for  their  independence.  The  castle  ruins  that  look 
down  from  the  mountains  are  witnesses  of  this. 

At  the  Rongella  ravine  we  have  passed  Zillis,  and 
the    end    of  the   Via   Mala   is    near.     The    tunnel, 


10  THE  EHINE. 

through  which  we  pass  hurriedly,  is  called  the  Ver- 
lorenes  Loch  (the  lost  hole) ;  then  we  look  down  on 
Thusis,  which  lies  smiling  in  the  valley  below,  with 
the  Heinzenberg  towering  above  it.  As  soon  as  we 
have  passed  through  the  huge  gate  of  the  Via  Mala 
we  reach  a  fresh  stage  of  the  road,  lying  on  a  lower 
level,  for  the  whole  course  of  the  Lower  Rhine  re- 
sembles a  colossal  terrace  of  three  gigantic  steps  :  the 
Rheinv/ald  Valley,  the  Schamser  Valley,  and  the  Dom- 
letscher  Valley. 

Through  the  last  the  road  inclines  downward,  and 
is  rich  in  artistic  beauty  as  well  as  in  historical  asso- 
ciations ;  for  just  here  especially  are  crowded  to- 
gether those  proud  castles  which  were  reared  by  ec- 
clesiastical and  worldly  power  for  the  domination  of 
the  oppressed  people.  Here  raged  at  its  maddest 
that  struggle  for  possession  which  included  not  only 
the  property  but  also  the  liberty  of  the  subject.  Full 
twenty  castles  crown  the  heights  round  this  lovely 
valley  ;  castles  among  Avhose  ruins  lies  hid  the  history 
of  a  century. 

The  monastery  of  Katzis,  which  stands  high  up  on 
the  mountain,  was  founded  as  early  as  the  year  680, 
by  a  Countess  of  Realta,  whom  tradition  gives  as  wife 
to  the  Bishop  of  Chur.  Realta  itself  carries  its  origin 
back  as  far  as  the  sixth  century  before  Christ,  when 
it  is  said  to  have  been  built  by  the  Tuscan  prince 
Rhsetus. 

How  boldly  all  these  names  sound  in   our  ears : 


THE  SOURCE  OF  THE  RHINE.  11 

Ortenstein  and  Juvalta,  and,  above  all,  Rhaezuns, 
which  rises  from  the  bare  wave-washed  rock  !  This 
last  was  for  a  long  time  the  most  hated  bulwark 
against  the  liberty  of  the  people ;  for  the  lords  of 
Rhsezmis,  who  had  been  ennobled  by  the  Emperor 
Sigismmid,  were  members  of  the  "  Black  League," 
formed  by  the  nobles  in  opposition  to  the  "  Gray 
Covenant "  (Grisons). 

The  feud  between  these  two  parties  raged  long, 
until,  by  a  bold  inroad  into  the  Schamser  Valley,  the 
Covenanters  overcame  the  nobles ;  then  a  council  of 
the  people  assembled  and  sentenced  the  young  Count 
of  Rhaezuns  to  death.  The  day  for  his  execution  was 
fixed,  the  headsman  even  held  his  broadsword  ready, 
when  an  old  retainer  of  the  house  stepped  forth  and 
asked  leave  to  speak.  "  Many  of  the  young  lord's 
ancestors,"  he  told  the  Covenanters,  "  had  been  mild 
and  humane  rulers,  and  had  often  drunk  jovially  yviih 
them  in  gay  companionship.  Their  prisoner  asked, 
as  a  last  favor,  that  this  might  happen  now."  Then 
capacious  goblets  and  stone  jugs  were  brought  filled 
with  wine.  They  valiantly  pledged  one  another  in 
brimming  cups ;  and  when  the  excitement  was  at  its 
height,  the  old  retainer  again  began  to  speak,  and 
begged  that  they  would  spare  his  young  master's  life, 
as  he  was  willing  to  join  the  "  Gray  Covenant,"  and 
would  defend  the  liberty  of  the  people.  His  prayer 
was  granted,  and  the  young  Lord  of  Rhsezuns  kept 
his  word. 


12  THE  RHINE. 

At  the  point  of  the  road  which  we  have  now 
reached,  the  character  of  the  landscape  surrounding  us 
grows  softer.  The  distant  heights  still  lower  over  us, 
and  dark  pine  woods  cover  the  mountains ;  but  in  the 
valley  there  stirs  a  warm  air,  in  which  the  finest  fruits 
ripen,  the  fields  are  heavy  with  golden  grain,  and  sub- 
stantial white  houses  stand  about  the  green  meadows. 

The  contrast  on  emerging  from  the  ravine  of  the 
Via  Mala  is  truly  striking,  and  we  become  sensible 
of  a  feeling  of  relief.  There  the  awful  solitude,  the 
sombre  colors,  and  the  barren  rock  oppressed  us  ; 
whilst  here  we  have  a  peaceful,  blessed  path,  sublime 
without  wildness,  and  rich  in  lovely  details  without 
losing  itself  in  insignificance. 

Through  the  midst  of  this  verdure  the  Rhine  flows 
on,  becoming  deep  and  strong,  though  still  in  every 
sense  a  mountain  stream — for  no  boatman  would  ven- 
ture on  it — but  its  bed  has  become  broader,  and  over 
its  youthful  vigor  there  lies  a  certain  repose  and  dig- 
nity. It  has  passed  through  that  period  of  struggle 
from  which  no  important  life  is  exempt ;  that  time 
full  of  storm  and  affliction  when  all  the  life  powers 
are  whirled  round  in  the  circling  eddy.  What  the 
period  of  struggle  is  to  the  life  of  a  great  man,  so  is 
the  Via  Mala  to  the  course  of  the  young  Rhine.  This 
is  the  turning-point  in  its  history,  where  it  is  per- 
mitted, with  superhuman  effort,  to  bear  itself  over  all 
obstacles.  It  is  the  deep  psychological  influence 
which  holds  us  spell-bound  before  this  landscape. 


THE  SOURCE  OF  THE  RHINE.  13 

The  course  which  the  Lower  Rhine  travels  from 
its  source  to  its  junction  with  the  Upper  Rhine  at 
Reichnau  does  not  amount  to  more  than  fifteen  miles, 
but  the  height  through  which  it  falls  within  that  dis- 
tance, over  the  three  huge  valley  steps,  shut  in  by  the 
ravine,  is  nearly  four  thousand  feet.  A  comparison 
of  these  figures  will  give  the  best  idea  how  turbulent 
the  youth  of  the  great  stream  is,  and  what  mighty 
powers  are  at  work  here. 

The  origin  and  course  of  the  Upper  Rhine,  which 
we  will  now  notice,  are  less  solemn,  but  still  of  ex- 
quisite loveliness.  Once  more  deep  solitude  sur- 
rounds us,  gray  boulders  are  scattered  about,  and  the 
grass  sprouts  sparsely  between  the  mighty  masses. 
No  human  footfall,  no  sound  of  life,  no  ray  of  sun- 
light greets  us,  and  only  by  straining  the  eye  forward 
and  upward  can  the  deep  blue  of  the  distant  sky  be 
distinguished. 

And  yet  there  springs  out  of  this  deep,  dead  soli- 
tude a  life  which  none  other  equals  in  greatness — we 
hear  it  gently  murmuring — that  murmur  is  the  cradle- 
song  of  the  Rhine.  Here,  again,  we  stand  beside  its 
source.  The  country  in  which  we  find  ourselves  is 
the  Grisons,  the  wildest  canton  of  Switzerland,  where, 
even  at  the  present  time,  the  eagle  soars  and  the  bear 
crawls  through  the  clefts.  We  are  in  the  midst  of 
that  rocky  momitain-chain  over  which  the  St.  Gothard 
towers.  The  glaciers  are  ranged  around,  covered 
with  eternal  snow — Crispalt  and  Badus,  and,  in  the 


14  THE  EHINE. 

distance,  Furka.  It  is  the  original  watershed  be- 
tween the  stormy,  dark  North  Sea  and  the  smiHng 
Mediterranean.  It  is  one  of  those  wonderful  places 
where  Nature  hides  her  mightiest  work  in  solitude. 

Three  streamlets  form  the  source  of  the  Upper 
Rhine.  One  comes  straight  down  from  the  crag,  the 
second  flows  timidly  along  the  earth,  the  third  forces 
its  way  through  the  impenetrable  rocks.  The  small 
basin  where  they  first  unite  is  called  Lake  Toma.  Its 
length  is  scarcely  more  than  three  hundred  paces,  and 
its  breadth  scarcely  two  hundred;  its  depth  also  is  in- 
considerable ;  but  the  dai'k  mirror  stands  out  in  won- 
drous beauty  of  color,  and  from  the  clefts  an  Alpine 
flower  peeps,  here  and  there,  among  the  snow. 

Here  the  waters  gather  quietly,  and  prepare,  as  it 
were,  for  a  rush  down  over  the  stony  mountains  to 
Chiamunt  and  Selva,  until  the  Middle  Rhine  flows 
into  them  at  Dissentis.  The  village  itself  lies  deep 
in  the  valley  ;  the  sound  of  the  vesper  bell  comes 
down  from  the  chapel  which  stands  up  among  the 
green  meadows. 

The  peasant  of  whom  we  ask  our  way  looks  won- 
deringly  at  us.  The  language  in  which  he  gives  us 
information  is  sl  patois,  and  only  fragments  of  it  are 
intelligible.  The  countenance  of  this  solitary  man  is 
of  a  harsh,  rough  character,  but  still  not  wanting  in 
truthfulness.  When  we  are  seated  in  the  little  circle 
of  the  village  inn,  we  hear  for  the  first  time  all  that 
has  happened  here  in  the  olden  times. 


THE  SOURCE  OF  THE  RHINE.  15 

Dissentis  was  not  always  so  lonely  as  it  is  at  the 
present  day.  For  a  whole  century  after  Attila, 
the  Great  Scourge  of  God,  had  been  carried  to  his 
grave,  dispersed  bands  of  his  nomadic  army  hung 
about  the  neighborhood,  until  the  Rhsetians  conspired 
against  them  and  exterminated  them  to  the  last  man. 
On  the  hills  which  surround  the  village  the  disciples 
of  St.  Benedict  built  themselves  a  dwelling-place, 
which  they  inhabited  for  more  than  a  thousand  years, 
hidden  among  the  peaceful  mountains,  far  away  from 
the  stream  of  time  and  history.  Then  time  came  to 
them  in  the  shape  of  the  wild  soldiers  of  the  Repub- 
lic, with  their  flapping  tricolors,  who  burnt  down 
their  village  and  destroyed  their  cloisters. 

Although  the  Rhine  does  not  always  run  beside  us 
on  the  path  Avhich  now  leads  us  from  Dissentis  to 
Ilanz,  it  is  still  our  guide,  for,  even  where  we  cannot 
see  it  because  of  the  fir  woods  and  rocks  which  hide 
it  from  our  view,  we,  nevertheless,  hear  close  beside 
us  the  roar  with  which  it  beats  out  its  foamy  path. 
On  the  road  we  meet  with  little  villages,  often  com- 
posed of  only  a  few  weather-beaten  cottages — at  one 
a  mountain  stream  rushes  down  from  the  hills,  and  at 
another  the  beat  of  a  forge-hammer  rings  through 
the  silent  depths  of  the  wood.  We  may  mention  that 
trout-fishing  is  very  fine  here,  fish  weighing  as  much 
as  twenty  pounds  being  caught  at  times. 

Just  before  we  enter  the  village  street  of  Triins 
there  stands  the  trunk  of  a  renowned  old  tree  ;  it  was 


16  THE  EHINE. 

once  a  maple  with  rustling  boughs,  under  which,  more 
than  four  hundred  years  ago,  assembled  the  founders 
of  the  "  Gray  Covenant,"  who  gave  their  name  to  this 
part  of  the  country  (the  Grisons).  The  little  chapel 
which  stands  just  above  is  consecrated  to  its  memory. 
Whatever  relics  of  that  time  remain  in  the  way  of 
records  and  treaties  are  preserved  in  the  old  court- 
house at  Ilanz,  the  first  town  on  the  bank  of  the 
Rhine. 

The  road  has  already  lost  much  of  its  former  rough- 
ness ;  it  leads  over  broad,  green  meadows  studded 
with  thick  alder-trees,  and  even  the  hamlets  that  lie 
away  from  the  road  have  a  sweet  charm  that  induces 
us  to  loiter.  The  little  village  that  stands  near  the 
so-called  ''  Forest  Houses,"  where  the  road  takes  a 
wide  sweep  to  the  left,  is  called  Flims  ;  on  every  side 
are  murmuring  streams  running  to  the  Rhine.  Before 
us  lies  the  Flimser  Lake,  with  its  pale  green  water — 
a  sunny  idyl,  where  the  herdsman  lies  dreaming  in 
the  rich  grass,  with  his  charges  pasturing  lazily  be- 
side him.  But  the  river  lies  away  to  the  right ;  we 
can  hear  the  sound  of  its  ripple  coming  over  the  sum- 
mit of  the  wood,  whilst  now  and  then  an  island  cov- 
ered with  trees  rises  out  of  the  stream,  or  the  ruins 
of  a  fallen  castle  look  down  on  us  from  the  heights. 

Here  also  we  meet  more  than  once  with  witnesses 
of  a  cruel  period  of  oppression.  Prominent  among 
them  is  Hohen  Triins,  the  history  of  which  reaches 
back  to  the  time  of  the  Merovingians.     The  village 


XLbe  Dia  flDala,  Swit5erlan&. 


THE  SOURCE  OF  THE  RHINE.  17 

lies  far  below  the  castle,  leaning  as  it  were  timidly  on 
the  slope  of  the  mountains. 

And  now  the  landscape  again  begins  to  change. 
The  broad  masses  of  v/ood  are  drawn  thickly  together 
on  the  banks  of  the  stream,  and  it  is  veiled  in  sombre 
color.  We  no  longer  wander  through  the  open  val- 
ley, as  at  Ilanz,  shaded  by  hazel  and  maple  boughs, 
but  a  dark  pine  wood  environs  us,  and  through  the 
side  valleys  which  open  up  to  right  and  left  of  us 
runs  that  rugged  character  peculiar  to  the  great 
mountain-chains.  Even  the  waves  partake  of  this 
character,  for  they  rush  forward  with  new  power, 
with  fresh  impetuosity,  as  though  approaching  a  long- 
desired  goal,  as  though  longing  for  a  speedy  reunion. 
Already  a  strange,  exciting  element  mixes  its  darker 
waves  with  the  light  transparent  green  peculiar  to  the 
waters  of  the  Upper  Rhine.  We  are  near  the  mouth 
of  the  Lower  Rhine,  and  the  back -flow  of  its  waters 
reaches  far  up  the  other  stream.  The  noise  of  the 
waves  grows  louder,  and  from  out  the  surrounding 
verdure  peeps  a  castle  with  proud  battlements. 

Pressing  on,  the  waters  reach  the  two  bridges  of 
Reichenau,  the  first  of  which,  a  quaint  wooden  struc- 
ture, from  Avhich  wheels  and  footsteps  echo  like  thun- 
der, spans  the  Upper  Rhine  only  ;  whilst  the  second 
lies  farther  down,  where  the  two  streams  have  already 
joined:  the  one,  light,  green,  and  clear — for  its  course 
was  serene  ;  the  other  with  a  darker  tide — for  its 
path,  the  Via  Mala,  was  one  of  strife  and  storm. 
Vol.  I. -2 


18  THE  EHINE. 

But  now  it  is  over ;  they  are  two  brothers  who,  after 
long  separation,  meet  and  recognize  each  other.  Now 
they  will  go  through  life  united — henceforth  the  world 
has  but  one  Rhine. 


THE  YOUTH  OF  THE  EHINE.        19 


CHAPTER    II. 

THE    YOUTH    OF    THE    RHINE. 

The  Bishops  of  Chur  were  once  the  Lords  of 
Reichenau,  and  it  was  they  Avho  built  the  old  castle, 
which  afterwards  became  the  property  of  the  Lords 
of  Planta.  If  we  visit  the  beautiful  thickly-grown 
garden,  we  stand  opposite  the  junction  of  the  two 
arms  of  the  Rhine.  The  walls  of  the  castle  have 
offered  a  shelter  to  many  renowned  guests. 

In  the  college  such  scholars  as  Benjamin  Constant 
were  educated,  and  amongst  the  teachers  has  been 
found  even  a  crowned  head — he  who  was  afterwards 
the  citizen-king,  Louis  Philippe.  His  appointment 
happened  in  a  curious  way.  Herr  Chabaud,  to  whom 
it  had  been  awarded  by  the  principal  of  the  establish- 
ment, was  unexpectedly  absent ;  so  the  young  fugi- 
tive took  his  name  and  his  office,  after  having  suc- 
cessfully passed  a  difficult  examination.  The  de- 
partments he  undertook  were  history,  geography, 
mathematics,  and  the  French  language.  His  salary 
amounted  to  only  four  hundred  francs ;  but,  poor  as 
this  life  appeared  here,  it  was  Paradise  as  compared 
with  France,  for  there  the  king  but  a  few  months  be- 
fore had  mounted  the  scaftbld,  and  in  the  palace  of 


20  THE  RHINE. 

Versailles,  -where  he  had  once  seen  only  slaves  bow- 
ing before  him,  the  bold  Jacobins  now  kept  watch. 

But  the  firebrand  of  1789  did  not  remain  confined 
to  the  hearth  that  kindled  it ;  its  glare  fell  even  over 
the  quiet,  solitary  valleys  of  Switzerland — even  there 
were  felt  the  convulsions  of  that  death-struggle.  It 
had  exhausted  itself  in  excess  and  despotism,  and 
now  it  gathered  all  its  weary  poAvers  together  for  a 
last  act,  for  a  new  redemption  of  the  human  race. 
But  the  act  soon  became  powerless,  and  the  fruit  of 
the  Revolution  was  not  the  universal  peace  that  had 
been  looked  for,  but  universal  war. 

It  was  a  fearful  time :  the  century  drew  its  last 
breath  weltering  in  blood ;  even  to  the  banks  of  the 
young  Rhine,  where  the  pathway  scarcely  offered  a 
footing  for  the  weary  pack-horse,  armies  penetrated 
— foreign  armies,  who  knew  neither  the  road  nor  the 
language.  The  Russians  were  ranged  under  Suwar- 
row,  the  wild  darling  of  the  Cossacks.  Massena  led 
the  soldiers  of  the  Republic,  with  their  fluttering  tri- 
colors, to  the  sound  of  the  Marseillaise — "  Aliens, 
enfants  de  la  patrie ;"  and  opposed  to  him  stood  the 
Archduke  Charles,  with  his  motley  array  from  Aus- 
tria. This  leader  was  greeted  with  cheers  in  varied 
tongues  as  he  rode  down  his  closely-packed  ranks. 
What  a  whirl,  what  contempt  of  death,  what  lust  of 
war  had  the  age  given  birth  to,  to  bring  half  the 
nations  of  Europe  together  to  battle  in  this  perilous 
corner  of  the  earth  ! 


THE  YOUTH  OF  THE  RHINE.  2 1 

At  Martinsloch  the  Russians  refused  to  obey  the 
word  of  command  ;  it  seemed  impossible  to  penetrate 
the  huge  masses  of  ice  and  snow.  When  Suwarrow, 
who  was  in  the  rear  with  Prince  Constantino,  heard 
the  ominous  news,  he  dashed  forward  to  the  head  of 
the  troops.  It  Avas  supposed  he  would  shoot  down 
the  mutineers  by  hundreds,  but  instead  of  that,  with 
knitted  brow,  he  abruptly  directed  them  to  dig  a  deep 
grave  in  the  snow.  The  old  soldiers  obeyed  him  in 
silence,  and  when  the  grave  was  ready,  he  tore  off 
his  cloak,  and  in  his  rough  way  gave  the  following 
order  :  "  Throw  me  in — bury  me  on  the  spot.  You 
will  no  longer  be  my  children,  and  I  am  no  longer 
your  father.  What  can  I  do  but  die  ?"  This  speech 
acted  like  an  electric  shock  on  the  old  guard,  who, 
with  a  wild  shout,  surrounded  their  general,  and 
swore  to  follow  him  faithfully  wherever  he  might 
choose  to  lead. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  country  themselves  were 
sometimes  stirred  both  in  heart  and  arm  by  such  in- 
stances as  these,  and  Ems,  which  we  reach  just  be- 
yond Reichenau,  is  associated  with  a  somewhat  rare 
deed  of  heroism.  In  March,  1799,  Massena  took 
possession  of  the  Lucienstieg  pass,  which  was  re- 
garded as  the  single  stronghold  of  the  Grisons,  and 
the  exasperation  at  this  misfortune  was  increased  by 
the  insolence  of  the  conquerors.  The  feeling  of  re- 
volt spread  like  lightning  through  the  whole  valley 
of  the  Upper  Rhine,  until  at  Ems  it  came  to  an  open 


22  THE  RHINE. 

conflict.  There  the  French  had  placed  their  guns  in 
a  strong  fortified  position,  and  all  idea  of  capturing 
them  seemed  so  hopeless  that  men  shrank  from  the 
attempt. 

A  woman,  however,  effected  that  which  daunted 
the  stronger  sex.  Anna  Maria  Buhler,  a  girl  of 
twenty-one  years  of  age,  placed  herself  at  the  head 
of  the  besiegers,  advanced  on  the  French,  and  took 
the  first  piece.  With  Herculean  strength  she  seized 
the  horses  by  their  bridles,  and  with  a  cudgel  un- 
horsed the  young  officer  who  had  command  of  the 
battery.  Roused  by  her  bravery,  the  Grisons  rushed 
forward,  and  almost  the  whole  of  the  French  artillery 
was  destroyed. 

Thus  at  the  very  source  of  the  Rhine  stands  that 
gloomy  word  War,  and  we  become  more  and  more 
familiar  with  it  the  farther  the  river's  course  leads 
through  the  broad  plain  ;  indeed,  we  are  reminded  of 
the  fairy  tale  where  the  good  fairies  all  surrounded 
the  cradle  of  the  infant-king,  and  each  laid  in  it  her 
gift ;  but  a  wicked  fairy  also  appeared,  and  added  a 
curse.  kSo,  as  the  course  of  the  Rhine  extends,  a 
hundred  blessings  of  greatness  and  renown  are  pre- 
sented to  our  view  ;  but  that  curse.  War,  which  Fate 
laid  also  in  its  cradle,  is  constantly  appearing  before 
us  as  a  dreadful  reality. 

Just  beyond  Ems  is  Chur,  the  capital  of  the  canton 
of  the  Grisons,  a  "  gray  "  weather-beaten  mountain 
town.     We    see   before   us  old  Roman   towers  with 


THE  YOUTH  OF  THE  RHINE.  23 

enigmatical  names,  a  church  that  has  stood  for  more 
than  a  thousand  years,  narrow  streets  over  whose 
stony  pavements  the  heavy  mail  rumbles,  and,  tower- 
ing over  all,  is  the  lofty  Kalanda.  Foreign  sounds 
greet  our  ears  on  every  side,  for  this  is  the  centre 
where  all  the  roads  of  the  Grisons  meet :  here  is  the 
gathering-point  of  all  that  immense  traffic  Avhich  goes 
over  the  Spliigen  and  St.  Bernard  to  the  south. 

The  history  of  the  town  is  as  gloomy  as  its  walls, 
which  in  the  time  of  the  Romans  bore  the  name  of 
Curia  Bhcetoriim.  The  Emperor  Constantine  set  up 
his  winter-quarters  here,  which  first  led  to  the  enlarg- 
ing of  the  city  ;  and  here,  as  early  as  451,  Christi- 
anity was  established.  The  Bishop's  Palace  stands 
high,  and,  together  with  the  Cathedral  and  the  build- 
ings belonging  to  it,  has  almost  the  appearance  of  a 
bold  fortress.  In  the  quarter  of  the  town  which  sur- 
rounds this  priestly  stronghold  the  Catholics  still  pre- 
ponderate. 

In  the  lower  town— which  is  rich  in  original  archi- 
tecture, in  pointed  gables  and  dark  archways — ac- 
tive, arduous  life  abounds,  and  the  houses  reach  far 
into  the  valley,  out  of  which  the  river  Plessur  rushes 
to  the  Rhine.  The  population,  which  two  hundred 
years  ago  was  exclusively  Roman,  the  town  being 
called  not  Chur,  but  Quera,  is  now  considerably 
changed,  and  a  large  industrial  trade  is  carried  on, 
though  sometimes  it  may  be  thought  that  the  stub- 
bornness of  the  soil  is  reflected,  as  it  were,  in  the 


24  THE  EHINE. 

character  of  its  people.  This  may  readily  be  ac- 
counted for,  for  a  national  character  which  springs 
out  of  free  unmolested  action  forms  itself  differently 
from  one  which  is  the  outburst  of  oppression. 

Beyond  Chur  we  meet,  as  before,  with  witnesses 
of  the  period  of  national  tyranny ;  lonely  castles, 
whose  very  names  announce  the  hardness  and  inso- 
lence which  dwelt  in  them — Ki'ottenstein,  Halden- 
stein,  Leichtenstein — frown  on  us  as  Ave  quietly  follow 
our  path  along  the  valley,  thinking  here  of  a  song, 
there  of  a  beautiful  maiden  who  once  looked  down 
from  those  balconies. 

Passing  on,  however,  we  soon  find  ourselves  in 
quite  a  different  scene  ;  we  are  in  the  midst  of  the 
"  vortex  of  fashion,"  the  high  life  of  the  present  day 
and  its  busy  hum.  We  are  at  the  baths  of  Ragatz, 
which  in  the  summer  season  of  the  year  are  the 
fashion,  and  they  have  within  the  last  thirty  years 
attained  a  European  reputation. 

The  warm  spring  which  rises  at  Pfaffers,  and 
whose  Avater  is  conveyed  in  iron  pipes  for  nearly  half 
a  mile  to  Ragatz,  was  discovered  by  a  huntsman 
about  the  middle  of  the  thirteenth  century.  It  be- 
longed to  the  renowned  order  of  Benedictines,  who 
were  enthroned  high  up  on  the  mountain  in  one  of 
the  strongest  and  oldest  abbeys  in  the  kingdom. 

For  a  long  time  the  spring  was  enclosed  in  a  little 
frail  hut,  similar  to  those  depicted  as  bath-houses  of 
the  middle  ages,  and  the  sick  crowded  to  it  from  all 


Batbs  ot  pfaffers. 


THE  YOUTH  OF  THE  RHINE.        25 

quarters  to  be  healed.  About  a  hundred  and  fifty 
years  ago  the  abbot  raised  a  new  buikiing  in  the  ex- 
pansive style  peculiar  to  the  time,  and  especially  popu- 
lar with  the  cloister.  Noav,  however,  that  the  whole 
institution  is  the  property  of  the  State,  gigantic  pal- 
aces stand  in  the  usual  splendor  of  the  modern  Spa, 
and  fifty  thousand  visitors  come  here  annually  to  be 
healed. 

But  there  is,  beside  this  outward  comfort,  a  beauty 
of  Nature,  which  also  silently  exerts  its  healing 
power.  The  Flascherbei'g,  covered  here  and  there 
with  dark  woods  amidst  cloven  rock,  looks  doAvn  into 
the  valley  through  which  the  Rhine  rushes  hastily ; 
and  above  the  rock  the  snowy  summit  of  the  Falknis 
shines  with  silver  brightness.  That  deep  cutting  over 
which  the  road  leads  to  Bregenz,  fortified  with  a  strong 
bulwark,  opposite  the  imperial  frontier,  is  the  St. 
Lucienstieg ;  the  two  castles  whose  ruins  peep  down 
from  among  the  bushes  are  Freudenberg  and  Nidberg. 
The  latter  is  particularly  rich  in  legends,  one  among 
them  being  especially  known  by  its  gloomy  fascina- 
tion and  the  passion  which  it  reveals. 

The  Knight  of  Nidberg  was  dreaded  far  and  wide; 
his  towers  seemed  to  be  inaccessible,  and  his  strength 
invincible,  whenever  an  enemy  attempted  to  besiege 
him.  But  that  which  valor  had  not  been  able  to 
achieve  was  accomplished  by  the  treachery  of  a  woman, 
driven  to  revenge  by  outraged  love.  She  Avell  knew 
his  chamber  and  his  deep  slumbers ;  and  she  led  the 


26  THE  RHINE. 

foe  by  a  secret  path  up  the  steep  castle  hill  till  they 
stood  opposite  the  battlements. 

There  they  could  see  into  the  open  chamber, 
where  the  invincible  knight  lay  sleeping ;  the  gentle 
breeze  played  in  at  the  window,  and  the  full  moon- 
light fell  on  the  closed  lids  and  heaving  breast.  It 
was  scarcely  five  paces  across,  but  neither  bridge  nor 
hand  stretched  over  the  yawning  abyss  which  parted 
the  sleeper  and  his  foe  ;  but  the  arrow  has  wings,  and 
will  find  neither  the  abyss  too  deep  nor  the  way  too 
long.  "  Fix  your  arrow,  and  aim  true,"  whispered 
the  enraged  woman  in  the  foeman's  ear.  For  a  mo- 
ment he  stood  half-terrified  on  the  edge  of  the  rock, 
so  powerful  was  the  form  of  the  sleeper ;  but  then 
the  whirring  bolt  sped  through  the  window ;  it  struck 
its  aim,  and  the  knight  passed  from  life  to  death. 

If  Ragatz,  with  all  its  splendor,  makes  a  delightful 
impression  on  us,  the  grandeur  which  we  meet  with 
in  its  wildest  form  as  soon  as  Ave  have  passed  Pfaffers 
does  so  still  more.  Here  the  Tamina,  which  falls 
into  the  Rhine  at  Ragatz,  has  worn  itself  a  path 
through  an  awful  ravine  ;  and  here — not  outside,  in 
the  smiling  landscape — lies  the  secret  of  the  old  heal- 
ing spring. 

Dark  walls  of  rock  which  rise  precipitously  six 
hundred  feet  on  either  side  confine  the  rushing  tor- 
rent, and  have  an  inexpressibly  gloomy  appearance, 
even  at  summer  noon.  The  narrow  overhanging 
path,  washed  by  the  restless  flood,  clings  painfully  to 


THE  YOUTH  OF  THE  RHINE.        27 

the  left.  In  about  three-quarters  of  an  hour  Ave  reach 
the  bath-house  which  the  monks  erected  here  in 
1704,  a  long  dark  building  in  whose  passages  the 
rays  of  the  sun  fall  but  sparely.  There  is  accommo- 
dation here  for  many  guests,  for  it  was  the  only  asy- 
lum for  strangers  before  Ragatz  had  developed  into  a 
bathing-place. 

But  we  have  not  yet  seen  the  most  impressive  part 
of  the  ravine,  for  heaven  still  casts  its  blue  gaze  down 
on  us,  and  though  confined,  we  are  yet  in  open  Na- 
ture. Behind  the  bath-house,  however,  where  the 
path  continues  for  about  five  hundred  steps,  we  pass 
right  into  the  interior,  into  the  very  bowels  of  the 
rock.  Here  the  ravine  becomes  a  chasm  ;  and  even 
if  the  July  sun  be  shining  outside,  it  is  damp  and 
dark  within.  On  every  side  we  are  surrounded  by 
rocks,  which  appear  to  threaten  us  with  approaching 
.destruction. 

We  proceed  timidly  along  the  path,  till  suddenly 
a  steaming  vapor  rushes  towards  us,  and  it  seems  as 
though  it  must  stifle  and  kill  if  we  step  within  the 
forbidden  circle.  Not  destruction,  however,  but 
blessing,  rises  out  of  these  obscure  depths ;  for  here 
lies  the  beneficent  spring  to  which  thousands  owe 
their  restoration  to  health  and  life. 

Truly,  it  is  marvellous !  The  deepest  creative 
powers  of  Nature  have  not  their  origin  on  the  bright 
sunny  soil,  but,  as  it  were,  in  the  darkness,  and  drag 
themselves   through   to   the   light   with   supernatural 


28  THE  EHINE. 

struggle.  Who  does  not  think  involuntarily  of  the 
great  minds  of  the  human  race  ?  One  of  them  stands 
especially  near  to  our  memory  in  this  place,  and  his 
name  shall  be  gratefully  spoken  before  we  leave  the 
spot — it  is  Schelling,  the  philosopher,  who  lies  buried 
at  Ragatz.  His  monument  in  the  churchyard  there 
was  erected  by  King  Max  II.,  of  Bavaria,  who  called 
himself  a  scholar  of  this  noble  master. 

It  is  said  that  the  devil  once  took  up  his  abode  in 
this  narrow  ravine  above  Ragatz,  where  the  hot 
springs  rise,  and  lying  in  wait  for  a  victim  he  saw 
Anna  Vogtli  pass. 

He  knew  that  she  was  a  witch,  and  spent  her 
nights  on  the  mountains,  when  the  moon  was  full, 
gathering  herbs  and  weaving  baneful  spells.  So  he 
promised  her  great  success  in  finding  what  she  needed 
for  her  black  art  if  she  would  only  go  down  into  the 
little  church  and  throw  away  the  holy  wafer  that  was 
on  the  altar. 

The  girl,  who  had  long  since  given  up  going  to 
mass,  and  had  already  sold  her  soul  to  the  devil,  did 
not  consider  this  a  hard  task,  and  started  immediately 
to  obey  Satan. 

She  stole  into  the  church,  but  no  sooner  had  she 
laid  her  hand  upon  the  sacred  Host  than  the  ground 
shook,  the  thunder  rolled,  and  the  lightning  gleamed, 
until  the  mountains  began  to  waken  to  the  sounds. 

Terrified,  Anna  Vogtli  rushed  out  of  the  sacred 
place,  throwing  away  the  holy  wafer  as  she  ran.     It 


THE  YOUTH  OF  THE  RHINE.        29 

fell  on  a  thorn-bush,  which  immediately  put  out  a 
silvery  rose,  whose  petals,  closing  round  the  wafer, 
protected  it  from  harm. 

A  flock  of  sheep,  passing,  reverently  bent  the 
knee,  and  a  wolf,  springing  out  of  a  thicket  to  fall 
upon  the  sheep,  lay  down  like  a  lamb  beside  them. 

The  peasants,  attracted  by  these  miracles,  plucked 
the  silvery  rose,  and  laid  it  upon  the  altar  of  the 
Church  of  Ettes  Wyl,  where  it  has  performed  many 
miracles. 

If  we  continue  to  go  northwards  we  soon  reach — 
at  Sargans — the  place  where,  in  prehistoric  times, 
there  lay  a  diverghig  point  of  the  Rhine.  For,  as 
many  geologists  maintain,  the  course  of  the  river  did 
not  originally  lead  it  to  Lake  Constance,  but  turned 
left  to  Wallenstadt  and  Zurich,  where  fewer  obstacles 
lay  in  its  path.  This  opinion  is  founded  from  ob- 
servations of  numerous  marks  in  the  rocks,  by  which 
the  old  river-bed  may  still  be  identified  ;  and  the 
watershed  between  Lake  Constance  and  the  Lake  of 
Zurich  is,  at  the  present  time,  so  low  that  it  is  not 
difficult  to  believe  this  supposition.  In  the  fearful  in- 
undation of  1618,  the  chronicles  tell  us  the  water- 
level  of  the  Rhine  had  already  risen  so  high  that  it 
was  feared  that  the  river  would  break  away  a  second 
time  to  Lake  Wallenstadt. 

The  whole  valley  which  we  now  pass  through,  as 
far  as  the  huge  basin  of  Lake  Constance,  is  called, 
igar  excellence^  the  Rhme  Valley.     The  proud  castle 


30  THE  KHINE. 

of  Werdenberg  reminds  us  of  the  lords  who  governed 
it.  The  tower  hangs,  like  an  eyrie,  high  up  on  the 
rock  5  and  here  lived  the  old  counts,  as  quarrelsome 
and  as  fond  of  plundering  as  the  Montforts,  from 
whom  they  sprang.  Now,  indeed,  they  have  slept  for 
many  long  years  in  their  stone  coffins,  but  formerly 
their  banners  floated  proudly  on  the  battlements.  The 
one  over  Werdenberg  was  black,  that  over  Sargans 
was  white,  and  those  of  Vorarlberg  and  Swabia  were 
red.  How  strange  that  the  colors  of  the  mightiest 
race  that  ever  ruled  on  the  banks  of  the  young  Rhine 
should  compose  the  banner  which,  hundreds  of  years 
later,  set  free  the  stream,  and  now  waves  from  every 
steamer  that  plies  from  the  Rhine  to  the  sea ! 

But,  we  are  reminded  as  our  feet  tread  its  soil,  the 
great  kingdom  has  forgotten  one  little  spot,  and  that 
is  the  little  land  of  Leichtenstein.  For  half  a  cen- 
tury it  was  the  Benjamin  of  the  holy  German  Con- 
federation, and  now,  though  that  good  body  is  dead, 
no  one  has  adopted  the  blooming  orphan.  The  five- 
and-fifty  soldiers  stand  at  peace,  the  faithful  subjects 
live  without  a  state  under  the  Castle  of  Vaduz,  with 
few  cares  and  few  taxes,  whilst  the  father  of  the 
country  tarries  in  his  Austrian  possessions.  Vallis 
dulcis — that  is  the  fragrant  root  from  which  the  name 
of  Vaduz  springs. 

As  we  approach  Lake  Constance  the  valley  grows 
broader  •,  the  mountains  recede  noticeably,  and  in  the 
place  of  wild  beauty  striving  against  cultivation,  we 


THE  YOUTH  OF  THE  RHINE.        31 

have  lavish  fertihty.  It  is  not  improbable  that,  as 
Strabo  relates,  in  his  time  the  whole  Rhine  Valley 
was  covered  with  marshes,  between  which  the  stream 
ran  in  its  deep  bed.  The  land  owes  its  fertility  to 
the  deposit  of  mud  which  was  left  behind  on  hill  and 
valley. 

Vines  were  planted  in  the  Rhine  Valley  as  early 
as  918,  and  the  market  towns  scattered  at  distances 
in  the  valley  were  soon  among  the  most  charming 
places  of  South  Germany.  It  is  true  that  fire  and 
drought,  endless  war  and  discord,  intruded  amongst 
these  plenteous  blessings  ;  but  they  could  only  de- 
stroy what  was  created,  and  not  the  creative  power 
which  is  here  specially  peculiar  to  Nature.  She  gave 
her  gifts  wdllingly,  with  a  full,  indeed  prodigal,  hand; 
the  fields  in  the  valley  were  covered  with  heavy 
crops,  and  over  the  hills  the  vine  clambered,  until, 
indeed,  it  became  almost  unvalued  from  its  very 
abundance. 

The  time  of  the  vintage  w^as  appointed  by  the  com- 
mon council,  and  also  the  price  of  the  wine,  which 
even  at  the  beginning  of  our  own  century  was  re- 
stricted to  seven  kreutzers  the  measure.  The  sup- 
ply was  indeed  almost  inexhaustible,  and  the  prox- 
imity of  the  Rhine  made  it  impossible  to  dig  cellars 
which  would  remain  free  from  water.  A  great  por- 
tion of  the  harvest  therefore  had  to  be  disposed  of 
abroad,  especially  in  the  frontier  land  of  Appenzell, 
which  gave  in  exchange  the  produce  of  its  cattle. 


32  THE  RHINE. 

Boats  plied  to  and  fro  over  the  stream,  and  in  quite 
early  times  the  markets  which  were  held  by  imperial 
privilege  in  the  Rhine  Valley  obtained  a  fine  trade. 
No  ship  floated  more  proudly  over  the  blue  surface 
of  Lake  Constance  than  the  great  market-ship  from 
Rheineck,  no  other  booty  was  more  eagerly  watched 
for  by  the  hunting  or  pirate-ship  which  cruised  about 
the  lake  filled  with  marauding  troops* 

It  was  natural  that  so  much  wealth  and  prosperity 
should  strengthen  the  courage  and  the  self-conscious- 
ness of  the  citizens — and  indeed  they  needed  all  their 
courage ;  for  at  one  time  they  had  to  defend  them- 
selves against  a  governor  who  cruelly  oppressed  the 
people,  and  at  another  against  insolent  neighbors  who 
broke  over  their  frontier  in  company  with  a  foreign 
power. 

Then  came  the  Reformation,  whose  mighty  influ- 
ence was  felt  even  in  the  most  distant  valleys.  In 
the  middle  of  the  winter  of  1528  the  people  of  the 
Rhine  Valley  were  called  upon  to  say  which  religion 
each  man  would  adopt ;  the  alarm-bells  were  rung, 
and  the  new  teaching  made  a  triumphal  entry  to  their 
sound. 

In  the  meantime  the  conflict  became  more  fierce, 
and  the  strife  of  minds  became  the  strife  of  arms, 
when  the  Thirty  Years'  War  broke  out  in  full  blaze 
even  in  the  provinces  of  the  Rhine  VaUey.  The 
Evangelicals  attacked  not  only  the  Imperialists,  but 
also  their  own  countrymen ;  the  corpses  which  the 


Xlbe  XTamina  IRiver  at  IRagat.v 


THE  YOUTH  OF  THE  RHINE.        33 

Rliine  Wcashed  a.shore  lay  iinburicd  all  around,  food 
for  the  famished  and  maddened  dogs.  The  prices 
will  show  to  what  a  pitch  famine,  and  consequently 
usury  and  extortion,  had  risen  :  the  ducat  at  that  time 
was  Avorth  seven  florins,  and  a  quarter  of  corn  cost 
five  and  a  half  florins. 

In  the  wars  of  the  eighteenth  century  also  the 
Rhine  Valley  suffered  severely,  and  it  was  long  before 
those  quiet,  blessed  days  returned  of  which  the  river 
Rhine  is  now  the  witness. 

The  last  great  stronghold,  which  stood  command- 
ingly  at  the  exit  of  the  valley,  was  Rheineck — a 
fortress  the  possession  of  which  was  contested  even 
in  the  time  of  Stauff'en  by  the  Bishop  of  Constance 
and  the  Abbot  of  St.  Galle.  Noav,  of  the  two  cas- 
tles, the  one  is  levelled  to  the  ground,  and  the  vine 
grows  luxuriantly  on  the  hill  where  it  once  stood ;  of 
the  other,  nothing  but  the  ruins  look  down  into  the 
valley.  But  below,  on  the  Rhine — which  at  this 
place  first  becomes  navigable  for  large  vessels — 
the  little  toAvn  lies  strong  and  well  built.  It  has  a 
fine  hall  of  commerce  for  its  brisk  trade,  espe- 
cially in  timber,  which  is  floated  down  from  Chur  in 
rafts. 

The  proximity  of  the  mouth  of  the  river  is  an- 
nounced by  the  depression  of  the  banks,  which  are 
covered  with  thick  sedge  ;  barely  a  mile  more,  and 
the  noblest  of  rivers  vanishes  from  our  sight,  and  the 
blue  shimmering  surface  of  Lake  Constance  lies  be- 
VoL.  I.— 3 


34  THE  EHINR 

fore  us.  The  stormy  history  of  the  upheaval  of  this 
lovely  lake  is  thousands  of  years  old,  but  its  smiling 
mirror  ever  greets  us  with  the  sparkle  of  eternal 
youth. 


LAKE  CONSTANCE.  35 


CHAPTER     III. 
LAKE    CONSTANCE. 

Standing  on  the  banks  of  Lake  Constance  we  feel 
that  we  have  before  us  the  most  beautiful  lake  which 
Germany  possesses.  The  snow-capt  mountains  of 
Switzerland  tower  around ;  on  one  side  is  the  mighty 
Santis,  on  the  other  is  the  Kurfirsten  chain,  with  its 
cloven  summits.  Cheerfid  towns  stand  on  the  shore, 
and  the  breeze  carries  the  sound  of  morning  bells 
over  the  blue  surface. 

What  wealth  of  color  gratifies  our  eyes,  what  a 
delicious,  refreshing  air  fans  us  as  we  gaze  over  the 
strand  where  yonder  boat  is  tossing!  The  water 
glistens  like  an  emerald  with  the  sun  shining  through 
it.  Farther  off  it  is  deeper,  and  the  strong  north 
wind  raises  the  waves,  so  that  the  sail  flaps  and  the 
foam  washes  the  sides.  Hark  hoAv  it  rustles ! — a 
firm  hand  must  guide  that  rudder,  for  beneath  the 
keel  the  lake  is  of  an  unfathomable  depth. 

Of  all  the  German  lakes  no  other  offers  so  great  a 
variety  of  sounds  :  on  its  shores  at  times  we  hear  the 
tender  song  of  the  wavelets,  and  at  another  the  roar- 
ing hoAvl  of  the  hurricane ;  and  the  painter  will  find 
from  rosy  twilight  to  stormy  midnight  as   great   a 


36  THE  EHINE. 

variety  of  colors  and  tints  here  as  he  can  possibly 
desire.  In  these  waters  marvellous  beauty  is  joined 
to  a  frightful  power  such  as  Nature  only,  and  not 
man,  can  combine,  and  herein  lies  the  unknown  fas- 
cination Avhich  Lake  Constance,  in  common  with  all 
great  lakes,  exercises  over  us. 

Lakes  are  the  secret  Avorking-places  of  Nature. 
Here,  where  no  human  eye  can  penetrate,  inestima- 
ble blessing  and  utter  desolation  seem  to  flow  in  a 
way  which  we  can  neither  understand  nor  control — 
at  times  the  lake  rises  in  a  glassy  flood  nearly  a  foot 
over  the  banks,  and  then  hastily  recedes ;  often  a 
great  volume  of  water  is  pressed  into  the  small  north- 
ern arm,  till  the  moist  south  wind  breaks  over  the 
mountains  and  throAvs  it  back  into  the  broad  open 
basin.  Then  the  flood  is  stirred  to  its  very  depths, 
no  boat  is  safe  upon  it,  and  even  the  strongest  steamer 
scarcely  dares  leave  the  harbor !  In  this  way  it  is 
swayed  by  the  warm  Avind  which  bloAvs  over  the 
mountains  in  the  spring  and  autumn,  and  Avhen  win- 
ter comes  the  frost  lays  the  waves  with  its  icy  breath 
till  they  remain  quiet  and  motionless,  as  if  they  had 
been  wrapt  in  sleep.  The  effect  on  a  wild  December 
night,  when  the  imprisoned  flood  knocks  at  its  dun- 
geon door  and  forces  it,  so  that  the  ice  bursts  from 
one  bank  to  the  other  with  a  deafening  roar,  Avhen 
once  heard  is  never  to  be  forgotten. 

The  lower  lake  freezes  annually,  but  the  whole 
surface   is   so   rarely  covered  that   the   years   when 


LAKE  CONSTANCE.  37 

such  an  event  has  happened  are  historical.  An  ex- 
ample of  this  phenomenon  occurred  in  1695,  when  a 
great  shooting  festival  was  held  on  the  ice,  and  passed 
off  merrily. 

Gustave  Schwab  has  depicted  the  terrible  side  of 
the  picture  in  his  well-known  ballad.  Who  does  not 
remember  the  horseman  who  hunted  for  hours  over 
the  snow-covered  plain — the  plain  w^hich  Avas  Lake 
Constance  !  But  figures  only  can  give  a  correct  idea 
of  its  size  and  the  scope  which  it  offers  to  the  ele- 
ments. It  is  two  hundred  and  seven  miles  in  area, 
forty  miles  long,  seven  and  a  half  miles  wdde,  and,  in 
some  places,  eight  hundred  and  twenty-five  feet  deep. 

Through  the  midst  of  this  mass  of  water  the  Rhine 
flows  invisibly.  Nature  has  taken  it  once  more  into 
her  quiet,  hidden  sanctuary,  as  a  mother  takes  her 
wayward  boy  into  her  silent  chamber,  from  which  he 
emerges  grave  and  moved,  M^ith  his  whole  character 
changed.  Such  an  hour  of  quiet  lies  here.  The 
lake  is  the  secret  chamber  where  the  change  in  its 
inmost  being  is  completed,  and  when  the  stream  has 
once  more  left  the  lake  the  Rhine  has  started  on  a 
noble,  active,  dignified  life,  the  wildness  and  danger 
of  youth  being  for  ever  left  behind. 

It  is  lost  to  sight,  but  though  we  do  not  see  it,  we 
still  feel  its  tide,  and  we  are  conscious  of  the  Rhine 
current  running  through  the  water  of  the  lake.  The 
color  of  the  shore  is  a  yellow  green,  such  as  the  old 
legends  describe  the  banks  of  the  Rhine,  and  yonder, 


38  THE  RHINE. 

in  the  waveless  tide,  we  feel  a  slight  heaving  motion, 
Avhich  is  the  heart-throb  of  the  great  stream  running 
through  the  depths  below. 

The  charm  which  this  spot  possesses  attracted  men 
in  very  early  times,  and  they  penetrated  the  wilder- 
ness, sword  in  hand,  to  build  their  towns  on  the  shore 
— the  strong  constantly  giving  place  to  the  stronger. 
Even  now,  as  if  in  remembrance  of  the  many  alter- 
nations of  conquerors,  the  lake  is  the  boundary  of 
many  countries — Austria,  Bavaria,  Wurtemburg, 
Baden,  and  Switzerland,  all  have  a  share  and  touch 
the  water  of  this  inland  sea.  It  is  a  gem  too  costly 
for  the  possession  of  a  single  kingdom,  and  five  coun- 
tries with  dark  wood  and  golden  grain  form  the  set- 
ting for  this  glittering  jewel. 

The  old  Romans  were  the  first  who  came  to  con- 
test the  dominion  of  the  Rhsetians,  and  the  first  town 
that  adorned  the  shore  was  Bregenz.  Both  Strabo 
and  Pliny  knew  it  under  the  name  of  Brigantium,  by 
which  name  the  lake  also  Avas  distinguished  ;  its  pres- 
ent designation  is  of  much  more  recent  date. 

A  Roman  writer  of  the  fourth  century  gives  a  de- 
scription of  Lake  Constance  which  is  very  striking 
in  its  powerful  simplicity.  At  that  time  gigantic 
forests  reached  down  to  the  water's  edge,  and  heavy 
mists  hung  over  the  lake,  so  that  it  was  with  diffi- 
culty that  the  axe  hewed  the  first  road  to  the  shore. 
But  through  the  "  lazy  repose  of  the  lake  "  (says  the 
narrator)  there  flows  a  river  with  strong  current  and 


LAKE  CONSTANCE.  39 

"  foaming  eddy/'  which  carries  its  waters  to  the  out- 
let, unmixed  Avith  those  of  the  lake.  In  the  finest 
bay  in  the  lake  stood  the  old  castle  of  Brigantium, 
all  wild  and  desolate,  but  strong  and  well  protected, 
and  a  prosperous  toAvn  grew  up  under  its  shelter. 

But  its  prosperity  did  not  last  long  5  fresh  races 
came  and  were  in  their  turn  superseded  by  others, 
until  at  last  the  first  missionaries  came  over  from  Ire- 
land and  introduced  gentler  manners.  They  were  St. 
Gallus  and  Columba ;  they  also  first  set  foot  in  the 
south-eastern  part  of  the  country,  where  the  towns 
of  Bregenz  and  Lindau  now  stand ;  here  lay  the  key 
for  the  civilization  of  the  whole  district. 

We  too,  then,  will  begin  our  description  at  Lindau, 
whose  youthful  image  presents  itself  to  us  in  these 
later  days  in  its  beautiful  name.  At  the  present 
time,  when  commerce  has  constructed  iron  roads 
everyAvhere,  and  made  firm  land  even  where  nature 
thought  fit  to  place  water,  we  scarcely  remark  that 
Lindau  stands  in  the  middle  of  an  island,  for  the  rail- 
way carries  us  into  the  very  heart  of  the  toAvn.  But 
at  the  time  when  our  ancestors  gave  the  place  its 
name  the  green  island  Avas  AVashed  all  round  by  the 
blue  Avaters,  and  no  bridge  led  over  from  the  main- 
land to  the  sunny  meadoAVS  (Au),  Avhere  the  Avind 
played  among  the  old  lindens. 

The  first  buildings  raised  by  German  hands  were 
the  church  and  the  cloister,  Avhich  were  erected  in  the 
time  of  the  Carlo vingians,  and   numerous  dwellings 


40  THE  KHINE. 

were  soon  erected  near  them.  Long  before  Rudolf 
of  Hapsburg  mounted  the  throne  the  town  had  be 
come  a  free  city,  and  its  situation  being  accessible, 
commerce  and  traffic  increased  unusually  fast.  It 
had  close  relations  with  the  most  powerful  cities  of 
the  kingdom,  and  its  political  influence  was  known 
even  with  the  German  house  in  Venice.  Its  activity 
manifested  itself  intellectually  and  in  no  small  de- 
gree when  the  first  note  of  the  great  Reformation 
sounded. 

The  Thirty  Years'  War  was  the  first  turning-point 
in  the  fate  of  the  town.  In  order  to  keep  off  war,  it 
was  fortified  and  surrounded  by  strong  outAvorks,  but 
these  precautions  only  invited  the  attacks  of  the 
enemy.  The  wrathful  General  Wrangel  threw  thou- 
sands of  shot  into  the  beleaguered  town,  which  was 
defended  by  the  Imperialists ;  and,  though  he  re- 
treated, followed  by  the  jeers  of  the  citizens,  without 
having  accomplished  his  aim,  their  welfare  was  im- 
paired for  centuries. 

That  time  had  gone  forever  when  (as  Achilles 
Gasser  proudly  relates)  more  than  fourteen  hundred 
vehicles,  and  people  from  thirty  towns,  appeared  at 
the  weekly  market  of  Lindau.  The  population 
dwindled  as  the  wealth  disappeared,  and  want  greatly 
helped  on  the  downfall,  when  the  town  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  Bavarians  in  1806. 

After  these  disasters  every  possible  effort  was 
made  to  raise  its  fortunes  again  ;  streets  and  gardens 


LAKE  CONSTANCE.  41 

were  laid  out,  and  the  varied  forms  of  modern  prog- 
ress were  quickly  litted  into  the  frame  of  the  antique 
picturesque  bastions,  part  of  which  is  still  preserved. 
The  most  important  points  of  the  modern  town  are 
naturally  the  railway,  which  runs  from  the  mainland 
to  the  island  over  a  massive  viaduct,  and  the  harbor, 
which  is  noAv  the  finest  on  the  lake. 

On  approaching  the  town  by  water,  two  prominent 
objects  are  seen  towering  above  it — the  handsome 
light-house,  with  its  .indented  top,  and  the  old  lion  of 
Wittelsbacher,  which  keeps  its  lordly  Avatch  on  a  lofty 
pedestal.  Not  far  from  it  stands  the  bronze  monu- 
ment of  the  noble  Max  II.,  who  died  in  1864,  the 
prince  to  whom  Lindau  specially  owes  its  prosperity. 

But  the  greatest  increase  of  prosperity  has  been 
in  the  lake  traffic,  for  there  are  now  many  steamers 
used  in  the  service.  Amongst  them  there  is  a  ferry- 
boat Avhich  carries  trains  bodily  over  to  the  Swiss 
side.  The  first  steamboat  was  built  by  Church,  an 
American,  in  the  year  1824.  It  bore  the  name  of 
King  William  of  Wurtemburg,  who  had  it  built,  and 
it  remained  in  use  till  1847. 

Previous  to  this  there  were  vessels  on  Lake  Con- 
stance which  were  adapted  for  the  transport  of  huge 
burdens,  and  frequently  carried  one  hundred  to  one 
hundred  and  fifty  tons  at  a  time.  They  were  fitted 
with  a  gigantic  sail  composed  of  some  six  hundred 
yards  of  canvas,  which  bore  them ,  slowly  over  to 
Constance. 


42  THE  EHINE. 

Lindau  was  for  many  centuries  the  centre  for  the 
fishing  as  well  as  of  the  shipping  trade ;  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  town,  indeed,  had  a  monopoly  of  the 
former ;  and  on  the  "  fish  days/'  which  were  ap- 
pointed annually,  it  was  agreed  how  and  where  the 
productive  right  should  be  used.  The  lake  abounds 
in  trout  and  in  a  small  fish  called  Felchen  (Avhich 
we  do  not  know) ',  and  even  at  the  present  day 
thousands  of  the  so-called  "  Gang  fish  "  are  caught  in 
the  spring,  and  sent  in  large  quantities  throughout 
Germany. 

Lindau  has  long  since  lost  all  these  privileges,  but 
it  has  exchanged  them  for  advantages  which  are  in- 
finitely more  valuable ;  the  fishery  is  almost  free  at 
the  present  time,  and  the  permission  to  enjoy  the 
sport  is  granted  with  praiseworthy  liberality  to  the 
visitors  to  the  lake.  No  one  complains,  and  the 
fishes,  who  alone  might  off"er  an  objection,  are  dumb. 

Thus  everywhere  we  feel  the  action  of  progress, 
but  many  traces  remain  of  those  old  primitive  days 
when  the  canoes  of  the  Alemanni  crossed  over  from 
the  mainland.  The  so-called  "  Heathen  Wall "  is 
supposed  to  be  a  fragment  of  the  gigantic  watch- 
tower  which  Tiberius  erected  here ;  the  church  of 
St.  Peter,  Avhich  is  used  at  the  present  time  as  a 
granary,  is  a  memorial  of  the  Carlovingian  period ; 
and  the  Town  Hall  illustrates  the  beautiful  style  of 
the  old  imperial  town.  The  arms  of  Lindau  are  still 
a  linden  on  a  white  field,  and  the  most  beautiful  point 


LAKE  CONSTANCE.  43 

in  the  neighborhood,  the  Lindenhof,  preserves  the 
idea  of  the  verdant  origin  of  its  title. 

Bregenz  is  the  neighboring  town  to  Lindau,  and, 
ahhovigh  the  boundary  of  two  great  empires  parts 
them,  they  are  miited  by  nature,  whose  divisions  are 
not  those  of  man.  If  Lindau  is  an  island  town,  Bre- 
genz is,  in  the  fullest  sense  of  the  word,  a  gulf  town ; 
and  while  the  one  has  been  sometimes  compared  to 
Venice,  the  other  has  been  called  the  German  Genoa 
or  Naples. 

We,  however,  will  have  nothing  to  do  with  com- 
parisons, but  give  ourselves  up  without  reserve  to  the 
pleasure  which  this  beautiful  piece  of  country  awakens 
in  every  sensitive  soul — we  will  not  dwell  upon  imagi- 
nary pictures,  for  before  us  lies  the  loveliest  picture 
of  reality. 

The  soft  blue  bank  of  the  lake  bends  crescent-wise, 
and  the  town  rises  towards  the  mountains  in  light 
terraces,  overshadowed  by  the  lofty  Pfanders  and  the 
Gebhardsberg,  with  its  little  glistening  church.  Old 
forests  of  beech  and  fir  lie  around,  though  many  a 
gap  has  been  made  by  the  axe.  Mountain  town  and 
coast  town  are  here  united. 

The  oldest  part  is  that  Avhich  lies  upon  a  hill  sloping 
gently  on  three  sides.  It  is  generally  agreed  that  the 
Roman  castle  stood  here,  and  the  extent  of  the  former 
town  has  been  determined  by  many  researches  and 
discoveries.  Burial-grounds  and  beautiful  mosaic 
pavements,  statues   and  metal-work  have  been  dis- 


44  THE  RHINE. 

covered,  and  everywhere  rusty  coins,  bearing  the 
images  of  the  Csesars,  have  been  brought  to  light 
after  the  feet  of  the  Huns,  for  thousands  of  years, 
had  trodden  them  into  the  earth. 

Here,  as  on  the  Riviera,  the  oldest  part  of  the  town 
retires  as  much  as  possible  into  the  land,  and  is  hud- 
dled together  on  the  slope  of  the  mountain,  while  the 
new  parts  stretch  towards  the  shore  for  the  sake  of 
trade.  The  modern  busy  Bregenz  stands  below,  on 
the  harbor  and  on  the  railroad.  This  is  a  striking 
proof  how  social  development  follows  historical  de- 
velopment. Formerly  the  existence  of  the  town  de- 
pended on  protection ;  now  it  depends  on  traffic.  At 
its  first  building  that  point  had  to  be  selected  which 
was  the  safest ;  the  present  growth  seeks  that  situa- 
tion which  seems  to  be  the  most  accessible. 

It  is  true  that  beauty  is  sometimes  lost  sight  of, 
and  in  the  erection  of  barracks  and  huge  store- 
houses architecture  sinks  from  the  domain  of  Art  to 
an  arithmetical  calculation.  So  many  square  feet, 
and  so  many  rooms,  must  be  provided  at  so  much 
rent.  These  considerations  are  rarely  compatible  with 
the  architectural  genius  of  _^the  present  day. 

Even  on  the  coast  of  Bregenz,  therefore,  we  are 
not  altogether  safe  from  such  defects,  though  the  ob- 
jects which  disturb  us  are  exceptions.  Taken  alto- 
gether, it  is  not  easy  to  find  a  little  town  which  strikes 
us  so  pleasantly ;  for,  let  builders  do  what  they  may, 
the  great  architect  who  designed  the  ground-plan  was 


LAKE  CONSTANCE.  45 

Nature,  and  human  hands  can  hardly  help  following 
her  lines.  The  population  of  the  town  is  small,  and 
has  a  somewhat  official  air,  from  the  fact  that  every 
possible  dignitary  is  to  be  found  here,  Bregenz  being 
the  capital  of  Vorarlberg.  But  other  dignitaries 
have  also  established  themselves  in  the  town,  whose 
distinctions  do  not  depend  upon  imperial  decrees,  for 
Lake  Constance  has  always  possessed  a  special  at- 
traction for  poets. 

Gustave  Schwab  has  sung  its  praises,  and  the  great 
poet  of  gloom,  Hermann  Ling,  has  often  delighted  in 
his  visits  to  its  shores.  Victor  Scheffel,  the  fortunate 
master  of  Ekkehart,  lived  in  Rudolfszell,  and  in 
Bregenz  Alfred  Meissner  wrote  his  well-known  ro- 
mances. How  the  charm  of  a  country  increases,  and 
the  delight  of  a  journey  through  it  is  enhanced,  when 
we  can  rest  beside  the  hospitable  hearths  of  remark- 
able men  !  Adelaide  Procter,  the  English  poetess, 
has  sung  of  the  Maid  of  Bregenz — how,  three  hun- 
dred years  ago,  she  was  forced  to  leave  her  native 
town  to  serve  in  the  Swiss  valleys.  As  the  years 
went  by  she  became  attached  to  her  new  home,  and 
her  childhood  in  the  Tyrol  seemed  to  fade  from  her 
mind ;  but  one  day  she  overheard  her  neighbors  talk- 
ing of  a  plot  against  Bregenz,  and  boasting  that  the 
town  would  be  surprised  and  captured  before  the  dawn 
of  another  day. 

Then  the  maid's  love  of  country  asserted  itself, 
and  she  stole  silently  away  to  the  stable,  saddled  a 


46  THE  EHINE. 

fleet  horse,  mounted,  and  turned  his  head  towards 
Bregenz,  to  warn  the  inhabitants.  On  thej  fly 
through  the  night,  horse  and  rider.  She  hears  the 
bells  ring  eleven  while  she  is  still  far  from  her  jour- 
ney's end ;  she  urges  her  horse,  and  on  they  go, 
faster ;  and  just  as  midnight  strikes  they  reach 
the  city  gate  : 

"And  out  come  serf  and  soldier 
To  meet  the  news  she  hrings. 

"  Bregenz  is  saved  !  ere  daylight 

Her  battlements  are  manned  ; 
Defiance  greets  the  army 

That  marches  on  the  land. 
And  if  to  deeds  heroic 

Should  endless  fame  be  paid, 
Bregenz  does  well  to  honor 

The  noble  Tyrol  maid. 

"Three  hundred  years  are  vanished, 

And  yet  upon  the  hill 
An  old  stone  gateway  rises, 

To  do  her  honor  still. 
And  there,  when  Bregenz  women 

Sit  spinning  in  the  shade, 
They  see  in  quaint  old  carving 

The  Charger  and  the  Maid. 

"And  when,  to  guard  old  Bregenz, 

By  gateway,  street,  and  tower, 
The  warder  paces  all  night  long 

And  calls  each  passing  hour  ; 
'Nine,'  'ten,'  'eleven,'  he  cries  aloud, 

And  then  (O  crown  of  Fame  !) 
When  midnight  pauses  in  the  skies 

He  calls  the  maiden's  name  !" 


LAKE  CONSTANCE.  47 

Bregenz  is  at  the  extreme  point  of  the  long  blue 
upper  lake.  It  is  only  when  the  air  is  exceptionally 
clear  that  we  can  see  the  minster  tower  of  Constance 
looming  in  the  far  distance.  That  is  the  goal  to 
which  the  steamer  is  now  bearing  us,  but  on  either 
side,  on  the  German  bank  as  Avell  as  on  the  Swiss,  we 
see  many  agreeable  halting-places  and  many  pleasant, 
snug  retreats. 

Over  yonder  on  the  left  bank,  Rorschach  and  Ro- 
manshorn  have  become  the  centre  of  traffic,  and  be- 
tween them  the  little  town  of  Arbon  lies  on  a  narrow 
peninsula.  It  was  one  of  the  most  select  points  on 
the  lake,  and  was  fortified  by  the  Romans,  the  leader 
of  the  cohorts  dwelling  there  in  a  strong  castle.  The 
harbor  was  built  far  out  into  the  lake,  and  some  of 
its  huge  foundation-stones  are  still  visible  on  the  bot- 
tom when  the  sun  shines  through  the  quiet  water. 

The  old  name,  the  sound  of  which  is  still  partially 
preserved  in  the  modern  one,  was  Arbor  Felix.  When 
the  Romans  were  exterminated  or  driven  away,  the 
representatives  of  the  German  prince  came  into  the 
town,  and  brought  in  their  train  the  young  Conrad, 
who  tarried  with  them  before  taking  the  fatal  road  to 
Italy.  What  a  tragically  beautiful  form  it  is  that 
rises  before  our  imagination,  blue-eyed  and  golden- 
haired,  on  the  cross-road  between  happy  youth  and 
earnest  manhood  !  How  often  the  music  of  love-songs 
must  have  sounded  over  the  lake  from  the  lips  of  him 
in  whose  veins  the  warm  blood  of  the  Staufens  flowed ! 


48  THE  RHINE. 

His  golden  head  fell  beneath  the  axe,  and  the  name 
of  Conrad,  at  the  present  day,  stands  unabsolved  in 
history. 

The  little  village  with  the  church  which  we  see 
yonder,  nearly  opposite  Arbon,  is  called  Wasserburg. 
The  church  stands  prominently  on  the  shore,  and  the 
parsonage  is  further  inland,  for  the  waves  wash  over 
the  building  when  the  lake  is  exceptionally  stormy. 
On  sunny  days,  however,  the  reverend  inmate  has 
the  advantage,  for  lofty  green  trees  spread  their 
shady  canopy  over  his  garden,  and  though,  close  at 
hand,  the  country  people  are  engaged  in  bustling  oc- 
cupations, he  strolls  quietly  up  and  down,  feeling  as 
secure  and  proud  on  his  land  as  ever  did  his  neigh- 
bors the  Counts  of  Montfort.  That  name  has  an  old 
world-renowned  sound,  for  the  owners  of  it  for  many 
centuries  possessed  the  proud  castle  which  rises 
abruptly  from  the  lake  at  Langenargen. 

It  was  at  first  on  an  island  which  was  afterwards 
united  to  the  mainland  by  a  dyke.  No  race  in  the  dis- 
trict of  the  Rhine  Valley  and  Lake  Constance  was 
mightier  than  they.  No  castle  was  more  stately — it 
asserted  its  ancient  majesty  even  in  its  ruins.  Now, 
however,  it  has  all  disappeared,  in  order  to  make  way 
for  a  modern  artistic  edifice  which  the  rulers  of  Swabia 
have  erected  for  themselves.  The  new  Montfort  has 
cost  many  thousands,  but  the  old  wave-washed  walls 
will  not  bear  the  modern  burden  which  has  been  laid 
upon  them,  for  it  is  stated  that  from  time  to  time  the 


LAKE  CONSTANCE.  49 

pillars  show  unmistakable  signs  of  giving  way  in 
man  J  places. 

But  the  real  summer  retreat  of  the  Court  of  Wur- 
temburg  is  Friedrichshafen,  lying  a  few  miles  dis- 
tant, with  its  fine  landing-place,  its  lofty  light-house, 
and  its  broad  quay,  where  the  bustling,  chattering 
Swabian  life  goes  on. 

What  confusion  of  men  and  goods  !  The  engine 
of  the  train  whistles,  the  bell  of  the  boat  rings. 
Stop  !  another  passenger  before  the  bridge  is  drawn 
away.  Now  he  is  on  board,  safe  but  breathless,  the 
vessel  is  pushed  off,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  open 
blue  water  bears  us  on  again.  And  now  Ave  first  see 
clearly  the  beautiful  elevation  of  the  castle,  with  its 
long  rows  of  windows  and  its  broad  terraces.  Lofty 
lime-trees  shade  the  entrance,  and  the  garden  with 
its  fragrant  flower-beds  spreads  round  it  on  all  sides, 
whilst  the  flag  on  the  summit  of  the  building  flaunts 
in  the  breeze. 

This  charming  town  did  not  always  bear  the  name 
which  it  now  possesses.  Friedrichshafen  came  into 
existence  in  the  present  century,  after  the  old  mo- 
nastic settlement  of  Hofen  was  broken  up  and  united 
to  the  town  of  Buchhorn. 

At  Buchhorn  dwelt  the  good  knight.  Sir  Ulrich, 
beloved  by  all  his  people.  Then  a  summons  came 
and  he  rode  off  to  the  wars,  and  nothing  more  was 
heard  of  him  for  many  a  day.  At  last  a  messenger 
rode  up  to  the  castle,  bringing  the  news  to  his  sor- 
VoL.  I. -4 


50  THE  EHTNE. 

rowing  wife  that  Sir  Ulrich  had  fallen  in  battle,  fight- 
ing bravely  until  the  last. 

From  that  time  the  Lady  Gertrude  gave  herself 
up  to  working  for  the  poor,  and  on  the  fourth  anni- 
versary of  her  lord's  death  she  gathered  together  all 
her  people,  and  all  those  dependent  upon  her  bounty, 
and  begged  that  they  would  pray  for  the  soul  of  Sir 
Ulrich. 

Among  those  assembled  was  a  pilgrim,  in  rags, 
who  begged  that  the  noble  lady  would  give  him  a 
robe  to  replace  his  tatters.  The  Lady  Gertrude 
handed  him  the  robe,  and  asked  for  his  prayers,  also, 
for  the  soul  of  her  dear  lord,  when,  instead  of  thank- 
ing her  humbly,  the  pilgrim  took  her  in  his  arms  and 
kissed  her  !  Throwing  back  his  cowl  he  disclosed  the 
features  of  Sir  Ulrich,  who  had  been  kept  a  prisoner 
all  these  years,  and  had  finally  escaped  and  made  his 
way  home  to  his  dear  wife. 

At  Buchhorn,  as  far  back  as  the  time  of  the  Car- 
lovingians,  a  council  was  held,  called  by  the  old  Ger- 
man term  a  Thingstatte.  Trade  also,  and  barter, 
were  carried  on  to  a  very  large  extent.  The  rulers 
who  dwelt  there  were  called  Counts  of  Linzgau. 

The  light  from  the  windows  of  the  castle,  which  we 
are  now  approaching,  is  so  clearly  and  brightly  re- 
flected on  to  the  lake  below,  that  even  more  than  a 
century  ago  the  people  of  the  neighborhood  were 
accustomed  to  say,  "  That  glitters  like  Meersburg." 
At  its  foot  lies  the  little   town  of  the   same  name. 


LAKE  CONSTANCE.  51 

which  was  founded  in  the  reign  of  King  Dagobert. 
It  was  here  that  the  princely  ecclesiastics  from  Con- 
stance dreamed  away  the  golden  summer  in  times  of 
peace,  and  entrenched  themselves  and  their  treasures 
in  times  of  war. 

The  steep  position  and  antique  coloring  of  Meers- 
biirg  give  it  the  appearance  of  a  strongly-fortified 
little  town,  and  this  impression  is  naturally  greatly 
increased  by  the  appearance  of  the  two  castles  which 
overtop  the  whole.  Between  them  is  an  open  ravine 
which  Bishop  Nicholas  caused  to  be  made  by  blast- 
ing, in  order  to  defend  his  castle  more  surely.  Lux- 
uriant vines  grow  all  over  the  hills,  and  in  the  dis- 
tance the  snowy  peaks  of  the  Bernese  Alps  are 
visible. 

Guelphs  and  Staufens  were  lords  of  the  castle,  and 
the  manuscript  of  a  message  still  preserved  in  Meers- 
burg  tells  us  that  once  the  Bavarian  and  the  Swede 
knocked  at  their  doors  and  threatened  to  level  their 
walls  to  the  ground.  This  message  is  contained  in  a 
yellow,  time-stained  letter  burnt  at  the  four  corners, 
and  written  by  the  colonel  of  Horn's  regiment.  It 
states  that  it  shall  fare  no  better  with  the  tOAvn  than 
with  the  letter ;  that  it  also  shall  be  set  fire  to,  at  the 
four  corners,  if  it  does  not  surrender.  Meersburg, 
however,  did  not  surrender. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  present  century  the  dis- 
trict looked  very  waste  and  desolate  :  the  walls  of  the 
old  castle  stood  dreary  and  dismantled ;  the  bishopric 


52  THE  RHINE. 

was  abolished,  its  property  secularized,  and  the  town 
itself  passed  to  the  government  of  Baden.  This  was 
a  period  when  many  existing  conditions  Avere  broken 
up — ^justly  indeed,  but  harshly. 

Destruction  would  have  overtaken  the  old  castle 
had  not  one  of  the  noblest  men  of  his  country  chosen 
it  for  his  home.  The  Baron  von  Lassberg  became 
the  owner  of  the  castle,  and  in  the  gallery  where  the 
bishop's  library  formerly  stood  he  arranged  his  intel- 
lectual treasures,  comprising  manuscripts  of  all  ages. 
In  the  balcony,  where  his  great  arm-chair  was  placed, 
he  sat  and  basked  in  the  sunshine. 


XI be  IRbine  (3ate,  Constance. 


fe' 


■  ■■ 


CONSTANCE.  63 


CHAPTER   IV. 

CONSTANCE. 

We  have  seen  that  the  history  of  Meersburg  is 
closely  connected  with  that  of  Constance,  and  the 
road  also  is  near  at  hand  which  brings  us  wdthin 
reach  of  the  proud  old  episcopal  town  ;  Constance 
forms  in  one  sense  the  keystone  of  the  upper  lake,  for 
here  the  great  basin  is  divided  into  two  slender  arms, 
one  of  which  is  named  after  the  town  of  Ueberlingen, 
and  the  other  is  called  the  Lower  Lake,  or  the  Zel- 
lersee. 

In  these  arras  are  the  two  beautiful  islands  of 
Mainau  and  Reichenau,  on  which  we  will  land  as  soon 
as  we  have  finished  our  walk  through  Constance. 
The  history  of  this  town  has  been  similar  to  that  of 
Lindau  and  many  other  places  of  the  old  empire ;  its 
population  and  its  importance  to  the  world  at  large 
rapidly  retrograded,  and  instead  of  fulfilling  a  great 
historical  mission,  it  was  called  upon  simply  to  form 
the  centre  of  a  narrow,  modest  circle. 

Its  nature  and  its  merits  must  be  measured  accord- 
ingly, though  it  will  be  acknowledged  that  for  this 
class  of  town  Constance  stands  in  the  foremost  rank. 
Its   inhabitants,   which   now   number   about    sixteen 


54  THE  RHINE. 

thousand,  have  retrieved  in  intellectual  freedom  the 
position  which  its  forty  thousand  residents  formerly- 
held,  for  this  last  was  its  population  when  that  re- 
nowned council  was  held  which  crowned  its  deeds 
with  the  death  of  the  great  Huss,  instead  of  with  the 
purifying  of  the  church. 

The  origin  of  the  town  reaches  as  far  back  as  the 
wars  of  the  Emperor  Constantino  with  the  Alemanni, 
and  the  colossal  substructure  of  the  Castle  was  dis- 
covered during  the  Thirty  Years'  War,  when  the 
Swedes  were  digging  their  trenches.  Its  prosperity, 
and  consequently  its  importance  for  the  great  empire 
began  early,  for  nearly  all  the  German  princes  down 
to  the  time  of  the  Staufens  passed  through  its  gates 
and  rewarded  its  hospitality  with  rich  honors. 

When  Charlemagne  went  to  Rome  in  order  to  re- 
ceive his  imperial  crown,  he  rested  in  Constance  with 
Hildegard,  and  the  German  kings  very  often  spent 
Christmas  or  Easter  here.  Brilliant  regal  assemblies 
were  held  when  the  nobles  of  the  kingdom  gathered 
round  their  chief.  It  was  in  Constance  also  that  the 
ambassadors  from  Milan  appeared  before  Barbarossa 
when  he  received  the  golden  key  which  the  Italian 
states  sent  him  as  a  token  of  their  submission. 

All  the  splendor,  however,  of  this  last  event  van- 
ishes before  the  spectacle  of  sensual  and  sinful  osten- 
tation which  is  known  by  the  name  of  the  Holy  Coun- 
cil of  Constance.  This  was  held  in  the  year  1414, 
at  a  period  when  the  wild,  devastating  spirit  of  arro- 


CONSTANCE.  55 

gance,  of  indolence  and  immorality,  had  penetrated 
the  great  structure  of  the  Romish  Church.  Love 
songs  resounded  through  the  cloister,  and  quarrels  of 
the  reverend  inmates  "with  their  neighbors  Avere  even 
at  times  fought  out  in  the  open  streets.  At  the  head 
of  these  wild  practices  were  three  rival  Popes — 
namely,  John  XXIII.,  Benedict  XIII.,  and  Gregory 
XII.,  who  in  turn  made  Avar  upon  each  other.  No 
one  knew  any  longer  Avho  was  the  real  head  of  the 
Church,  but  those  who  suffered  most  were  the  men 
whose  beliefs  Avere  honest. 

The  Council  of  Constance  was  summoned  in  order 
to  amend  this  state  of  things,  and  to  reform  the 
Church  throughout  its  entire  constitution.  In  this 
way  the  little  toAvn  became  for  four  years  the  central 
point  of  European  history.  Ulric  A^on  Reich entlial, 
a  contemporary  Avriter,  describes  Avith  charming 
naivete  the  pageant  of  princes  and  prelates,  and  hoAv 
"  one  after  another  heralds  and  lifers  came,  yvith.  all 
sorts  of  servants,  in  order  to  secure  lodgings  for  their 
masters.  They  bespoke  food  and  straAA',  and  fixed 
their  masters'  badges  on  the  houses  and  doors." 

The  Cardinal  of  Ostia  came  in  the  middle  of  Au- 
gust, being  entrusted  Avith  the  preparations,  as  Lord 
High  Chancellor  of  the  Holy  Church ;  more  than 
eighty  horsemen  foUoAved  in  his  train.  The  Arch- 
bishop of  Mayence  rode  into  the  toAvn  clothed  in 
armor  from  head  to  foot.  The  Margrave,  Frederick 
von  Meissen,  came  accompanied  by  a  croAvd  of  nobles. 


56  THE  KHINE. 

and  followed  by  twenty-one  lieavily -laden  wagons  and 
above  five  hundred  horsemen. 

The  citizens  looked  on  in  alarm,  for  the  town  con- 
tinued to  fill.  The  delegates  came  even  from  the 
East  and  from  the  distant  North,  and  no  one  could 
foresee  what  Avould  be  the  end  of  all  this  splendor. 
Late  in  the  autumn,  Avhen  the  snow  had  already  be- 
gun to  fall  among  the  Alps,  the  Pope  himself  ap- 
peared. The  sledge  which  brought  him  over  the 
Arlberg  upset  and  was  almost  buried  in  the  snow 
before  he  reached  Thurgau.  Duke  Frederick  of 
Austria  received  him  there  with  great  honor,  and 
accompanied  him  and  his  party  to  Constance,  Avhere 
he  was  to  make  a  triumphal  entry.  He  rode,  clothed 
in  the  white  papal  robes,  under  a  canopy,  and  before 
him  there  walked  a  horse  with  a  bell  on  its  neck,  and 
the  Holy  Sacrament  on  its  back  ;  four  councillors  bore 
the  canopy,  and  the  shouting  mob  streamed  by  in 
thousands.  The  Emperor  Sigismund  alone  was  ab- 
sent, though  he  too  made  his  appearance  on  Christ- 
mas Day,  accompanied  by  the  empress  and  a  count- 
less train  of  followers. 

The  influx  of  strangers  constantly  increased,  their 
number  being  roughly  estimated  at  eighty  thousand, 
and  at  the  time  of  the  greatest  pressure  it  must 
have  amounted  to  one  hundred  thousand  men,  Avho 
had  at  their  disposal  thirty  thousand  horses.  All 
the  curiosity,  and  a  good  deal  of  the  vice  of  Eu- 
rope flowed  together  here,  for  more  than  a  thousand 


CONSTANCE.  57 

women  ministered  to  the  pleasure  of  the  worthy 
prelates. 

To  turn  from  these  considerations  of  outward  splen- 
dor, how  did  it  fare  with  the  great  duties  which  this 
assembly  had  been  summoned  to  fulfil,  and  with  those 
reforms  which  Christendom  so  sorely  needed  ?  What 
did  the  Council  of  Constance  do  for  the  development 
of  history  and  for  the  salvation  of  the  human  race  ? 
Nothing,  and  less  than  nothing  !  For  when  this  ques- 
tion is  asked,  the  splendor  that  was  paraded  there 
sinks  at  once  into  foul  ignominy,  and  we  are  con- 
fronted, not  with  a  deed  of  glory,  but  with  a  ghastly 
crime.  It  is  true  that  after  much  trouble  the  three 
rival  popes  were  prevailed  on  to  relinquish  their  dig- 
nity in  order  to  give  place  to  a  fourth. 

Very  soon  after,  however.  Pope  John  broke  his 
sacred  oath,  fled  from  the  Council,  and  having  reached 
Italy,  attempted  to  strengthen  his  dominion  afresh. 
But  the  inquiries  made  in  the  meantime  by  the  Council 
as  to  his  mode  of  life  resulted  in  such  an  exposure 
of  vice  that  he  was  solemnly  deposed,  and  Cardinal 
Colonna  was  chosen  in  his  stead. 

This  gloomy  incident  was  soon  followed  by  a  sec- 
ond, which  is  almost  unequalled  in  horror.  It  was, 
naturally,  much  easier  to  condemn  heretics  than  to 
endanger  the  safety  of  the  existing  Church ;  the 
Council  found,  therefore,  their  most  pressing  duty  to 
be  that  of  vengeance.  The  support  Avhich  the  doc- 
trines of  John  Huss  had  met  with  in  Bohemia  had 


58  THE  EHINE. 

for  a  long  time  roused  the  hatred  of  the  Romanists, 
so  the  renowned  teacher  was  summoned  from  Prague 
to  Constance,  in  order  to  defend  himself  before  the 
Assembly.  Sigismund  took  the  precaution  of  giving 
him  a  guarantee  of  safe  conduct,  and  had  promised 
to  protect  his  life.  The  emperor,  however,  broke  his 
word,  as  the  pope  had  done  before,  for  he  was  easily 
persuaded  that  no  man  was  bound  to  keep  faith  with 
a  "  heretic."  The  execution  of  this  great,  steadfast 
man,  who  mounted  the  scaffold  with  stoical  calmness, 
is  a  stirring  picture,  and  cannot  be  related  without  a 
feeling  of  angry  shame. 

First  of  all  his  clerical  clothes  were  torn  off  him 
with  horrible  curses,  then  his  long  hair  was  cut  off, 
then  a  rusty  chain  was  put  round  his  neck,  and  lastly 
a  crown  on  which  demons  were  painted  was  placed, 
in  mockery,  on  his  head.  Huss  did  not  resist,  nor 
did  he  beg  for  mercy,  but  all  along  the  road  to  the 
stake  he  prayed  aloud  that  God  would  forgive  his 
enemies ;  and  while  the  flames  played  round  him  he 
praised  God  and  sang  till  the  smoke  stifled  his  voice, 
and  hid  his  mutilated  form.  Thus  died  "the  heretic," 
and  the  Church  whose  edifice  rests  on  love  to  one's 
neighbor  had  burdened  itself  Avith  a  fresh  and  a  hor- 
rible crime. 

As  to  the  important  question  which  had  been  placed 
before  the  Council  at  Constance — namely,  that  of 
purifying  the  Church — nothing  was  done.  It  was  at 
last  openly  determined  that  the  performance   of  this 


CONSTANCE.  59 

duty  should  be  deferred  to  a  "  later  "  Assembly,  and 
the  Council  dispersed  with  a  feeling  of  hopelessness. 
Even  worse  than  this,  their  departure  was  covered 
with  shame  of  the  meanest  description,  for  the  Em- 
peror Sigismund  was  so  deeply  in  debt  that  the  citi- 
zens would  not  allow  him  to  depart  Avithout  leaving 
the  whole  of  his  baggage  in  pledge.  It  remained  for 
years  in  the  custody  of  the  State,  and  when  every 
hope  of  it  being  redeemed  had  vanished,  and  the 
chests  Avere  opened,  it  was  found  to  contain — not  silver 
vessels,  as  was  supposed,  but  stones. 

Such  was  the  course  and  such  was  the  end  of  the 
celebrated  "  Holy  Council  of  Constance."  An  em- 
peror and  a  pope  both  proved  themselves  traitors  to 
their  word,  the  town  was  inundated  with  a  profligate 
crowd,  an  irrecoverable  debt  was  incurred,  and,  above 
all,  the  scaffold  of  John  Huss  had  been  erected  as  an 
endless  blot  on  the  fair  city  of  Constance.  Truly, 
the  smoke  from  the  martyr's  pile  still  pervades  these 
memories. 

When  we  turn  from  the  past  to  the  present  time 
we  still  find  in  the  outward  appearance  of  the  town 
many  things  that  remind  us  of  the  middle  ages.  The 
Town  Hall,  erected  in  1388,  in  which  the  conclave 
was  held,  is  especially  remarkable.  It  is  an  extensive 
building,  and  stands  close  to  the  water's  edge.  The 
lower  portion  is  of  stone,  the  upper  of  dark,  Aveather- 
beaten  wood,  so  that  it  has  almost  the  appearance  of 
a  huge  shed,  though  at  each  of  the  four  corners  of  the 


60  THE  RHINE. 

roof  there  is  a  little  overhanging  projection,  which 
gives  an  air  of  originality  to  what  is  in  itself  a  some- 
what clumsy  structure. 

On  the  first  story  is  the  "  Council  Chamber,"  as  it 
is  called.  It  is  a  large  but  low  room,  entirely  lined 
with  polished  wood,  the  roof  being  supported  by  pil- 
lars. The  frescoes  which  adorn  the  walls  represent 
the  most  important  events  in  the  history  of  Constance. 
They  were  done  in  1875-85  by  Philip  Schworer  and 
Frederick  Pecht,  of  Munich. 

The  Cathedral,  which  was  begun  in  the  middle  of 
the  eleventh  century,  stands  out,  both  historically  and 
architecturally,  above  the  other  churches  of  the  city. 
The  style  of  the  architecture  was  originally  Roman, 
but  the  many  additions  which  have  been  made  from 
time  to  time  are  of  the  Gothic  order.  A  dreadful  fire 
once  occurred  within  the  walls,  which  melted  the  en- 
tire peal  of  bells  and  caused  great  destruction.  In 
spite  of  these  disasters,  however,  the  minster  is  still 
the  finest  church  on  the  lake. 

Constance  having  become  the  seat  of  a  bishopric 
as  early  as  781,  the  city  grew  rich  in  consequence, 
and  a  succession  of  remarkable  men  Avho  labored  there 
added  much  to  its  renown.  The  greater  proportion 
of  the  inhabitants  are  Catholic.  The  impression  left 
from  the  days  of  the  great  Assembly  sunk  so  deep 
that  the  citizens  at  that  time  rushed  with  open  arms 
to  meet  the  Reformation,  and  the  bishop  left  the  city. 
The  Lutheran  opinions  became  daily  more  open  and 


CONSTANCE.  61 

decided,  and  when  the  town  immediately  repudiated 
the  "  Interim  "  which  Charles  V.  laid  upon  it,  open 
strife  broke  out. 

One  of  those  wars  followed  in  which  the  self-re- 
spect of  the  citizens  sets  itself  with  the  courage  of 
despair  in  opposition  to  the  superior  strength  of  their 
rulers.  The  soldiers  of  the  city  encountered  the 
Spanish  infantry,  Avhich  the  empei'or  sent  against 
them,  on  the  Rhine  bridge  ;  but  after  a  bloody  fray 
the  imperial  troops  obtained  the  upper  hand.  It  was 
indeed  a  Pyrrhus-like  victory,  for  the  emperor  repaid 
with  care  the  heroism  of  his  enemies,  and  made  the 
city,  which  had  formerly  been  a  free  town,  part  of 
Austria.  All  Protestants  were  obliged  to  flee,  and 
their  property  was  confiscated. 

Constance  had  again  to  suffer  the  calamities  of 
war  when  the  Swedes  encamped  before  its  gates.  On 
this  occasion  Field-Marshal  Horn  stormed  the  walls 
three  times,  but  the  resolute  defence  of  the  inhabi- 
tants forced  him  to  retire.  After  this,  quieter  times 
came.  Commerce  and  industry  began  slowly  to 
flourish  once  more,  and  Nature  unconcernedly  brought 
forth  her  golden  treasures.  A  permanent  change, 
hoAvever,  had  been  wrought,  for  the  great  free  city 
has  become  a  quiet,  homely,  provincial  town,  and  only 
one  thing  still  reminds  us  of  the  past :  this  is  a  dis- 
position to  freedom  which  the  town  proves  in  every 
way,  and  which  it  especially  attests  in  its  ecclesiasti- 
cal government.     Many  noble  hands  were  held  out 


62  THE  EHINE. 

to  the  people,  with  offers  of  assistance,  in  their  time 
of  effort ;  notably  those  of  Joseph  II.  and  the  great 
Wessenberg,  who,  when  Bishop  of  Constance,  raised 
for  himself  an  imperishable  monument  by  his  humanity 
and  his  cultivation  of  art  and  learning. 

We  have  still  to  mention  the  two  large  islands, 
which,  like  Lindau,  were  in  early  times  distinguished 
as  meadows  or  pastures.  One  was  named,  from  its 
wealth,  Reichenau ;  the  other,  from  its  beautiful  May 
breeze,  Mainau.  For  a  long  time  both  belonged  to 
the  same  owners. 

Mainau  was  for  many  generations  a  subordinate 
property  of  the  great  abbey  on  the  Lower  Lake,  till 
the  abbot  himself  gave  it  aAvay.  It  then  came  at 
second-hand  to  the  German  order,  who  possessed  it 
till  1806.  The  wide,  princely  house  of  this  order — 
a  mixture  of  castle  and  cloister — stood  with  its  great 
wings  on  the  high  plateau  of  the  island.  In  the  long 
galleries  and  handsome  rooms  were  hung  the  banners 
of  the  commanders,  and  in  the  chapel  the  consecrated 
bell  soimded,  sending  its  peaceful  music  far  over 
the  lake  ;  while  above  glistened  Santis,  and  in  the 
hazy  distance  the  towers  of  Old  Bregenz  could  be 
distinguished. 

Strangers  in  those  days  who  visited  the  island  found 
hospitable  entertainment  at  the  farm  and  the  inn  at- 
tached to  it.  In  later  years,  Avhen  the  commandery 
had  long  fallen  away,  the  glory  of  the  order  and  its 
noble  lords  left  its  own  peculiar  impression  on  the 


CONSTANCE.  63 

island.  The  old  good-natured  host  would  sit  for  hours 
and  narrate  to  his  guests  how  the  armed  knights  Von 
Hiltpolt  and  Werner  Hundbiss  defended  the  island 
against  the  Swedish  ships,  just  as  though  he  had  him- 
self been  present.  Now,  since  the  reigning  family 
of  Baden  have  fixed  their  summer  residence  here, 
these  pictures  of  the  past  have  faded  before  the  bril- 
liancy of  the  present. 

In  the  villages  at  the  end  of  the  Ueberlingen  Lake 
there  are  some  dark  caverns Avhich  are  called  ^'Heathen 
Holes."  They  are  narrow  chambers  hewn  in  the  rock, 
and  are  thought  by  many  people  to  have  been  a  kind 
of  catacomb,  and  to  have  served  the  early  Christians 
as  hiding-places.  Others  take  them  to  be  Roman 
graves,  dating  back  as  far  as  the  times  of  the  wars 
with  the  Alemanni. 

The  neighboring  island  of  Reichenau,  in  the  Lower 
Lake,  presents  an  entirely  different  picture  ;  its  cir- 
cumference is  considerably  greater,  and  its  history  is 
much  older.  No  spot  of  land  round  about  surpasses 
it  in  richness  of  soil  or  in  political  and  historic  re- 
nown. Amongst  all  the  monasteries  that  arose  in  the 
middle  ages,  Reichenau  was  specially  favored  by  for- 
tune— four  archdukes  and  about  twenty  counts  were 
its  lieges ;  and  as  Charles  V.  boasted  that  the  sun 
never  set  upon  his  dominions,  so  did  the  abbot  of 
Reichenau  boast  that  he  slept  every  night  on  his  own 
territory  when  he  travelled  to  Rome  to  see  the  Pope, 
He  was  a  prince  of  the  Holy  Roman  Empire.     Em- 


64  THE  EHINE. 

perors  and  princes  sat  at  his  table,  and  the  noblest 
knights  from  the  neighboring  districts  served  him  as 
high  steward  and  cup-bearer  when  he  entertained  his 
guests. 

In  Reichenau,  however,  they  attended  not  only  to 
the  fidl  enjoyment  of  the  senses,  but  also  to  the  en- 
joyment of  intellectual  cultivation,  and  the  monks 
prided  themselves  that  no  town  in  the  southern  part 
of  the  empire  could  compare  with  them  in  culture. 
The  nobles  sent  their  sons  from  all  parts  of  the  coun- 
try to  be  educated  here,  and  more  than  eighty  bishop- 
rics were  filled  by  scholars  of  the  abbey. 

But  Fortune  had  been  too  prodigal  to  be  lasting ; 
the  turning-point  came  under  the  Hohenstaufens,  and 
ruin  rushed  in  with  overwhelming  force.  Instead  of 
giving  themselves  up  to  meditation  at  Shrovetide,  the 
monks  Avent  to  Ulm  for  the  Carnival,  and  danced  and 
played  with  the  townswomen,  so  that,  in  order  to  ex- 
clude them  from  the  town,  the  abbot  sold  all  the  prop- 
erty which  he  possessed  there. 

One  hide  of  land  after  another  went  to  cover  debts, 
and  soon  the  income  of  the  monastery  had  sunk  from 
fifty  thousand  florins  to  three  silver  marks.  The  dis- 
organization increased,  and  at  last  an  hour  arrived 
when  it  was  indescribable,  and  the  abbot,  with  his 
own  hands,  tore  ovit  the  eyes  of  five  inoffensive  fish- 
ermen because  they  were  subjects  of  the  city  of  Con- 
stance, with  which  he  was  at  w^ar. 

In  this  state  of  affairs  the  bishops  of  the  neighbor- 


CONSTANCE.  65 

ing  city,  Avho  had  long  conceived  a  plan  of  annexing 
Reichenau  to  their  own  possessions,  saw  that  the  mo- 
ment had  arrived  when  the  ripe  fruit  might,  of  itself, 
fall  into  their  lap.  Without  much  trouble  the  abbot 
was  persuaded,  in  consideration  of  a  small  sum,  to 
betray  his  trust ;  and  he  himself,  in  1540,  delivered 
the  monastery  over  to  Constance. 

Such  are  the  thoughts  and  memories  which  accom- 
pany us  as  we  walk  through  this  beautiful  island. 
The  effect  is  strange  ;  the  old  church,  consecrated  in 
806,  still  stands.  We  step  through  the  carved  porch 
among  the  gray  pillars ;  we  pass  the  tombs,  the  cov- 
erings of  which  are  adorned  with  crozier  and  mitre, 
but  the  broken  light  which  environs  us  is  oppressively 
gloomy.  The  place  seems  haunted  by  a  spirit  of 
powerlessness,  which,  perhaps,  proceeds  from  the  im- 
perial grave  of  Charles  the  Fat,  great-grandson  of 
Charlemagne,  who  died  here,  unthroned  and  un- 
honored.  The  sacristy,  with  its  rattling  iron  bolts, 
contains  the  treasures  and  relics  of  the  abbey.  Here 
are  to  be  found  the  Gospels  on  fine  parchment,  chal- 
ices, costly  vestments,  and  ivory  carvings.  Here  is 
also  a  huge  emerald,  which  indeed,  to  our  eyes,  looks 
no  better  than  green  glass. 

We  unconsciously  draw  a  deep  breath  of  relief 
when  we  step  out  of  these  dim,  gloomy  rooms  into 
the  open  country,  which  well  deserves  the  name  of 
the  "  Rich  Pasture."  Fruit-laden  trees  and  sunny 
vineyards  surround  us,  and  the  three  villages  of  Ober- 
You  I.— 5 


Q6  THE  KHINE. 

zell,  Mittelzell  and  Unterzell  peep  out  among  the 
meadows,  adding  much  to  the  beauty  of  the  scene 
over  which  the  summer  breeze  plays  so  pleasantly. 

On  the  shore  are  seen  the  ruins  of  the  old  Scopula- 
Burg,  destroyed  in  1384,  where  the  monks  entrenched 
themselves  in  times  of  danger.  All  along  the  edge 
of  the  lake  little  white-looking  towns  and  villages  rise 
before  us,  Iznang  and  Horn,  Steckhorn  to  the  south 
and  St.  Rudolf's  Cell  to  the  north. 

But  presently  the  neighborhood  changes ;  a  pecu- 
liar contest  between  land  and  water  begins,  and  the 
bottom  of  the  lake  presses  up  close  to  the  shallow 
surface.  It  is  preparing  an  outlet  for  the  Rhine,  for 
between  the  mainland  and  Reichenau  it  is  so  shallow 
that  in  the  height  of  summer  it  is  almost  possible  to 
walk  across  dryshod. 

We  are  now  in  Switzerland  ;  the  great  castle  which 
we  see  yonder,  where  the  Rhine  flows  from  the  Upper 
to  the  Lower  Lake,  is  called  Gottlieben.  The  poet 
has  rightly  imagined  that  those  square  towers,  which 
look  so  gray  and  sad,  were  built  by  Melancholy,  and 
that  they  have  received  only  sad  guests.  The  Bishop 
of  Constance  retired  here,  in  anger,  before  the  hatred 
of  the  Emperor  Frederick  IL  ;  here  Jerome  of  Prague 
was  a  captive  ;  here  John  Huss  lay  imprisoned  before 
he  was  led  to  the  stake  ;  and  here  the  profligate  Pope 
John  was  kept  in  custody  when  he  was  captured  at  a 
wrestling-match,  disguised  as  a  messenger. 

Even  the  last  hand  which  attempted  to  revive  and 


CONSTANCE.  67 

adorn  the  old  castle  was  Avithout  a  blessing ;  it  Avas 
the  hand  of  the  third  Buonaparte — Louis  Napoleon — 
who  wished  to  restore  the  building  in  the  Gothic 
style.  He  was  living,  as  is  well  known,  near  at  hand, 
in  Arenenberg,  which  Queen  Hortense  inherited  from 
a  patrician  family,  and  had  enriched  with  delightful 
pleasure-grounds. 

It  was  from  this  place  that  he  Avent  to  Paris  as 
President  of  the  Republic,  and  the  Second  of  Decem- 
ber soon  followed.  He  exchanged  the  quiet,  retired 
country-seat  for  the  Tuileries,  and  for  nearly  two  de- 
cades all  Europe  hung  anxiously  on  his  mysterious 
words,  during  which  Arenenberg  lay  desolate  and 
forgotten. 

The  place  where  all  constraint  is  completely  thrown 
off,  and  where  the  great  stream  reigns  once  more 
free  and  independent,  is  called  Stein  on  the  Rhine, 
a  little  town  Avhich  claims  a  Merovingian  origin. 
Formerly  it  had  Avails  and  trenches,  and  it  had  need 
to  be  ever  Avatchful  of  its  freedom,  for  not  only  did 
the  stronghold  of  the  Lords  of  Klingen  tower  aboA^e 
it,  but  many  a  quarrelsome  neighbor  lay  ready  out- 
side its  ramparts. 

Once,  indeed,  the  burgomaster  himself  conspired 
with  the  Lord  of  the  Castle  of  Hohgau  to  giA^e  the 
town  into  his  hands.  A  night  attack  Avas  made,  but 
the  citizens  kept  off  the  enemy  Avith  unexpected 
vigor,  and  liaA'ing  seized  the  traitor  they  tied  him  in 
a  sack  and  hurled  him  into  the  Rhine. 


68  THE  RHINE. 

Hohgaii,  Avhich  we  have  just  named,  may  without 
doubt  be  considered  the  most  important  tract  in  the 
whole  Lake  Constance  district.  Its  name,  which  sig- 
nifies "  hill  district,"  appears  as  early  as  the  time  of 
Charles  Martel,  and  it  well  describes  the  nature  of  the 
country,  with  its  numerous  rocks  and  boulder  blocks, 
which  overrun  plain  and  forest.  What  a  gigantic  and 
mysterious  power  has  hurled  them  up  from  the  depths 
of  the  earth  or  down  from  immeasurable  heights  ! 

Formerly  more  than  twenty  castles  stood  in  Hohgau, 
and  the  oldest  families  of  the  Empire  dwelt  there. 
The  most  beautiful  picture  of  the  past,  in  which 
rugged  power  is  strangely  mixed  with  gentle  senti- 
ment, is  framed  within  this  lovely  landscape.  Ekke- 
hart's  turret  chamber  was  here  !  Hadwig,  the  learned 
Duchess  of  Swabia,  dwelt  at  Hohentwiel,  which  looks 
over  the  open  blue  Lake  of  Constance.  The  beauti- 
ful ruins  stand  out  on  the  rock  like  a  high  watch- 
tower  stationed  there  to  command  river  and  lake. 
Close  behind,  and  steeper  still,  are  the  ruins  of 
Hohenkrahen.  What  memories  this  rock  covers ! 
It  is  a  monument  of  the  histoiy  of  the  land  and  of 
its  people. 

The  little  town  of  Singen  lies  nearly  at  the  foot  of 
Hohentwiel,  and  the  numerous  Roman  antiquities 
which  have  been  found  there  lead  to  the  inference 
that  the  legions  of  Tiberius  had  found  out  this  beau- 
tiful spot.  A  guide  meets  visitors  at  the  farm  which 
lies  on  the  ascent  to  the  castle,  and  conducts  them 


Ube  ConcUmm  Saal  (^ovvn  1f?aU),  Constance. 


CONSTANCE.  69 

silently  past  the  old  lindens  and  the  steep  rock  -wall, 
the  stones  of  which  are  here  and  there  streaked  with 
red. 

In  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour  the  real  fortress  is 
reached,  and  we  are  surrounded  by  ruined  bastions, 
ditches  and  walls.  Though  everything  is  broken  and 
fallen,  there  is  still  an  appearance  of  strength  which 
neither  time  nor  foe  has  been  able  to  destroy.  This 
castle  has,  indeed,  been  associated  with  suffering  to 
many  ;  for,  among  the  purposes  which  it  has  been 
made  to  serve  in  the  course  of  ages,  is  one  which  is 
terrible  enough.  It  has  been  a  prison,  and  within  its 
walls  men,  such  as  the  noble  Moser,  have  languished. 
Many  who  had  entered  it  with  golden  locks  have  left 
it,  if  they  have  ever  again  passed  its  portal,  wdtli  hair 
white  as  snow. 

Hohentwiel  became  a  part  of  Wurtemberg,  to  which 
it  belongs  at  the  present  time,  in  the  middle  of  the 
fifteenth  century  ;  though  it  was  then,  as  now,  a  de- 
tached or  outlying  territory,  surrounded  on  all  sides 
by  Baden.  The  waves  of  the  Thirty  Years'  War 
beat  against  its  walls,  but  the  brave  Wiederhold,  into 
whose  hands  the  defence  of  the  place  w^as  given,  re- 
mained firm,  and  yielded  neither  to  the  gold  nor  to 
the  sword  of  the  enemy.  He  deserved  the  inscrip- 
tion which  was  formerly  carved  over  the  shattered 
door  of  the  stronghold  : 

"Der  Feind  hat's  fiinfmal  zwar  geschreckt, 
Doch  hat  der  Herr  zum  Schutz  erweckt 


70  THE  EHINE. 

Den  Wiederhold,  der  fiinfzehen  Jahr' 

Dasselb'  beschiitzt  in  Feindts  Gefalir."* 

But  there  was  not  always  a  Wiederhold  to  com- 
mand at  Hohentwiel,  and  impregnable  though  the 
fortress  seemed  its  hour  at  last  came.  Its  star  sank 
at  the  opening  of  this  century,  at  a  time  when  em- 
pires and  dynasties  were  engulfed.  Who  destroyed 
it  ?  The  same  power  which  at  that  time  carried  de- 
struction throughout  Europe — namely,  the  army  of 
Buonaparte,  which  invaded  Hohgau  to  the  number  of 
twenty  thousand  men.  The  officers  of  the  garrison 
capitulated  unanimously,  with  the  exception  of  one 
lieutenant ;  but  the  conditions  on  which  the  surrender 
was  made  were  broken,  and  the  demolition  and  blast- 
ing of  the  stronghold  was  the  result.  This  work 
lasted  for  nearly  a  year ;  mines  were  laid,  not  only 
in  the  building  but  in  the  rock  itself,  and  nothing 
more  than  ruins  were  left  of  the  proud  home  of  the 
beautiful  Hadwig.  Five  hundred  inhabitants  of  the 
neighboring  villages  were  compelled  to  assist  in  this 
disgraceful  work. 

That  is  the  last  sad  remembrance  that  surrounds 
the  "Rock,"  but  it  shall  not  be  the  impression  with 
which  we  take  our  leave  of  it.  Ruthless  hands  might 
raze  the  walls  to  the  ground  and  destroy  the  master- 

*  "Five  times  the  din  of  dreadful  war 
In  vain  did  on  those  ramparts  roar, 
For  Wiederhold,  God's  trusted  knight, 
Fifteen  long  years  maintained  the  fight." 


CONSTANCE.  71 

pieces  Avhich  adorned  its  stone  halls  ;  but  one  picture 
was  imperishable ;  it  could  as  little  be  touched  by  the 
hands  of  the  destroyer  as  its  beauty  can  be  expressed 
by  rapturous  description. 

Let  us  look  out  into  the  golden  distance  and  into 
the  blue  depths,  for  the  lovely  picture  lies  before  us 
in  the  clear  morning  air.  Here  we  see  a  mountain- 
chain  that  reaches  from  Mont  Blanc  to  the  Ortler,  a 
country  which  can  scarce  contain  the  fulness  of  its 
blessings ;  and  that  pearl,  the  sparkling  jewel  which 
meets  our  gaze  in  this  open  treasure-house  of  nature, 
the  blue  shining  lake  over  the  long  surface  of  which 
our  eye  lingers.  In  primeval  times,  further  back 
than  the  existence  or  the  thought  of  man,  Hohgau 
also  was  a  part  of  the  lake.  Teeth  an  inch  long  are 
occasionally  dug  out  of  the  gravelly  ground,  and  are 
supposed  to  have  belonged  to  huge  fish,  which  moved 
under  the  vast  waters.  In  the  lapse  ot  ages  the  water 
slowly  retired,  wrestling  with  the  earth  inch  by  inch, 
till  it  found  its  limits  in  the  huge  basin  which  to-day 
lies  smiling  before  us. 

What  a  vast  horizon,  what  w^armth  of  color,  what 
harmony  of  sounds,  when  the  evening  bells  ring  over 
the  waters !  The  fiery  ball  of  the  setting  sun  sinks 
lower  and  lower ;  it  glows  over  the  water  like  the  re- 
flection of  a  great  conflagration  ;  the  gray  cloud  draws 
its  veil  over  the  edge  of  the  disc,  gradually  covering 
it  little  by  little.  The  gold  changes  into  purple,  the 
purple  becomes  violet,  and  now  the  last  faint  ray  dis- 


72  THE  RHINE. 

appears,  and  the  evening  breeze  rustles  among  the 
trees.  How  gratefully  the  great  sail,  which  still  floats 
on  the  lake,  will  catch  the  breeze  ;  but  soon  the  sail 
too  has  vanished,  and  is  lost  to  us  in  the  thick  cur- 
tain of  the  twilight. 


SCHAFFHAUSEN.  73 


CHAPTER    V. 

SCHAFFHAUSEN. 

The  Rhine  has  left  Lake  Constance,  and  has 
emerged  once  more  on  its  course.  It  has  still  the 
vivid,  impetuous  character  of  youth,  but  may  be  said 
to  resemble  a  youth  earnestly  striving  towards  a 
great  future.  Such  is  the  character  of  its  course 
from  Stein  to  Basle. 

Only  once,  not  far  from  its  outlet,  there  comes  a 
critical  moment,  an  outbreak  of  its  old  passion.  This 
occurs  at  the  Rhinefall  at  Schaffhausen,  where  a 
gigantic  bank  of  rock,  over  three  hundred  feet  wide, 
stretches  itself  right  across  the  stream ;  it  is  nearly 
eighty-five  feet  high,  and  was  formerly  still  higher, 
as  may  be  seen  from  the  columns  which  rise  out  of 
the  whirlpool. 

Nature  has  throAvn  up  this  fortification  to  obstruct 
the  path  of  the  lordly  stream,  and  here  must  the 
Rhine  descend.  It  is  a  leap  for  life,  but  with  a  shout 
of  joy  it  extricates  itself  from  the  seething  depths 
into  which  it  falls,  and  the  liberated  waters  flow  on 
again  gleefully  through  forest  and  mead. 

The  Rhinefall  is  seen  to  the  greatest  advantage  on 
approaching  it  from  Neuhausen,  for  then  the  picture 
of  the  splendid  cataract  confronts  us  set  in  a  frame- 


74  THE  EHINE. 

work  of  green  woods.  On  the  right  bank,  the 
Schweitzerhof  stands  like  a  palace,  with  its  showy 
fagade ;  the  fashionable  world  crowds  the  wide  ter- 
races, and  the  high  windows  glitter  in  the  sun.  There 
is  a  short  way  to  the  shore  by  a  steep  flight  of  steps, 
but  the  more  convenient  approach  to  it  is  by  a  grav- 
elled path  which  winds  through  the  park.  The  op- 
posite bank  is  steep  ;  the  rocks  rise  full  of  crevices 
moistened  with  spray,  and  overgrown  with  green 
bushes  which  cling  to  every  cranny. 

On  the  hill  the  Castle  of  LaufFen  stands,  with  its 
indented  gables  and  battlements,  reminding  us,  with 
its  straggling  out-buildings,  of  an  old  fortress.  It  has 
recently  been  converted  into  an  inn.  The  magnifi- 
cent spectacle  of  the  waterfall  presents  itself  before 
us  in  sublime  beauty  ;  mountains  of  foam  are  heaved 
and  tossed  and  torn  until  they  are  shattered  into 
myriad  drops  of  spray. 

It  is,  indeed,  a  battle ;  and  the  last  of  those  rocky 
columns,  which  are  the  remains  of  a  stony  phalanx, 
stand  in  the  vortex,  like  heroes  Avho  have  survived 
the  battle  unshaken.  Day  and  night,  summer  and 
winter,  for  years  and  for  centuries,  tlie  unruly  tide 
has  stormed  against  them ;  the  foundation  is  already 
undermined,  and  many  of  their  companions  have  sunk 
into  the  foaming  depths. 

Through  how  many  more  generations  will  those 
which  remain  continue  as  they  are  now  ?  But  though 
it  is  a  battle,  and  a  gigantic  one,  it  is  quite  devoid  of 


SCHAFFHAUSEN.  "  75 

any  element  of  gloom  ;  it  presents  no  picture  of  de- 
struction, but  one  of  victory.  The  sparkling  stream 
casts  itself  down  with  such  a  shout  of  joy  that  it  can 
be  heard  for  some  leagues  on  a  clear  night ;  and  in 
the  morning  the  sun  streams  through  the  silver  spray 
till  it  is  reflected  in  all  the  colors  of  the  rainbow. 

If  we  visit  the  place  at  the  height  of  the  fashion- 
able season  we  see  entirely  different  pictures — we 
find  visitors  from  every  part  of  the  globe,  and  in  their 
midst  we  realize  the  aphorism  that  it  is  but  a  step 
from  the  sublime  to  the  ridiculous. 

A  Frenchman  complains  that  the  beauty  of  the 
cataract  has  considerably  decreased  since  1870,  and 
that  he  misses  that  "  parfum  de  I'electricite,"  which 
Delrieu  remarks  in  his  Rhine  book.  He  speaks  in  a 
loud  voice,  "  pour  dominer  le  bruit  du  cataracte ;"  he 
talks  enough  for  two,  and  so  it  is  no  wonder  if  his 
neighbor,  the  pale  Anglo-Saxon,  is  inexorably  silent. 
'•  Le  touriste  est  une  creature  machinale,"  says  the 
Frenchman,  again  quoting  his  Delrieu,  "  il  a  besoin 
d'un  dada."  He  was  right,  and  nowhere  does  this 
cockneyism  of  travel  work  more  painfully  than  when 
we  stand  before  a  truly  noble  object  of  nature. 

We  would  involuntarily  see  enthusiasm  or  rapture 
reflected  in  the  face  of  every  person  with  whom  we 
share  the  delight  of  such  a  sight.  Instead  of  this, 
how  often  do  we  find  a  melancholy  want  of  apprecia- 
tion, and  we  feel  alone  in  the  midst  of  a  chattering 
crowd — one  complains  that  the  Rhinefall  is  too  daz- 


76  THE  EHINE. 

zling,  another  that  it  is  too  noisy,  a  third  unconcern- 
edly reads  up  the  chapter  in  his  guide-book  and  ticks 
off  the  name  as  if  to  erase  a  burdensome  debt.  He 
has  "  done  "  the  RhinefaU. 

The  Rhinefall  and  Schaffhausen  are  generally  de- 
scribed as  one  geographical  object,  but  this  is  not  at 
all  the  case,  for  they  lie  nearly  a  league  apart.  When 
we  have  sufficiently  admired  the  Fall  M^e  turn  our 
gaze  back  to  the  tidy  antique  little  town,  whose 
gabled  roofs  and  arched  doorways  promise  hospitable 
entertainment. 

Schaffhausen  itself  is  but  small,  and  lies  straggling 
along  the  bank  of  the  Rhine,  but  the  style  of  the 
buildings,  as  well  as  the  whole  character  of  the  town, 
show  the  substantial  independence  of  the  citizens  to 
have  reached  a  high  stage  of  development. 

The  old  citadel  of  Munoth  frowns  down  from  the 
heights  with  its  impenetrable  walls,  and  the  towers 
of  the  cathedral,  erected  1052-1101,  have  become 
gray  with  age.  Its  bells,  as  is  well  known,  bear  the 
inscription  which  Schiller  prefixed  to  his  incompar- 
able poem :  "  Vivos  voco,  mortuos  plango,  falgara 
frangoP  The  manufactures  of  Schaffhausen  enjoy 
a  considerable  reputation,  and  its  trade  is  doubly 
profitable  on  account  of  the  great  water-power  it 
possesses,  and  from  the  stoppage  of  all  vessels  caused 
by  the  Rhinefall.  In  this  way  the  venerable  town 
has  added  the  modern  power  of  wealth  to  that  which 
it  possessed  in  bygone  ages,  as  the  "Key  of  Swabia," 


SCHAFFHAUSEN.  77 

and  the  same  public  spirit  Avhich  formerly  animated 
it  still  survives.  The  noblest  institutions  which  the 
town  possesses  for  public  use  have  proceeded  from 
the  liberality  of  individual  citizens,  and  fresh  instances 
of  such  liberality  are  constantly  being  given. 

Legend  tells  us  that  in  the  earliest  times  only  a  few 
boatmen's  huts  stood  on  the  spot  where  SchafFhausen 
now  is,  and  the  name  itself  may  easily  be  traced  back 
to  such  an  origin ;  as  early  as  the  twelfth  century, 
however,  the  unpretending  place  received  the  priv- 
ileges and  honors  of  a  town.  Many  a  siege  also  was 
sustained  by  the  fortiiications  with  which  the  citizens 
surrounded  their  home  ;  nor  were  the  inhabitants,  in- 
deed, exempt  from  other  visitations  of  various  kinds. 

In  one  year  more  than  four  thousand  Avere  carried 
off  by  the  plague.  Fire  and  water  vied  Avith  each 
other  to  devastate  the  beautiful  town,  and  the  war 
which  brought  all  the  arms  of  Europe  together  in 
Switzerland,  at  the  opening  of  this  century,  at  length 
robbed  the  town  of  one  of  its  most  remarkable  orna- 
ments. This  was  the  old  bridge  over  the  Rhine, 
which  is  here  more  than  three  hundred  feet  wide. 
It  stretched  from  one  bank  to  the  other  without  a 
single  support,  for  the  one  pier  which  stood  in  the 
middle  of  the  stream  belonged  to  an  earlier  structure, 
and  in  no  way  assisted  in  carrying  this  bridge.  The 
celebrated  wit,  Madame  Roland,  expressed  the  great- 
est admiration  for  this  remarkable  viaduct  in  her  let- 
ters from  Switzerland  |  but  the  men  who  set  fire  to 


78  THE  EHINE. 

the  bridge  and  burnt  it  to  the  ground,  in  the  spring 
of  1799,  were  the  compatriots  of  Madame  Roland. 

Leaving  Schaffhausen,  in  a  short  time  we  enter 
the  district  of  the  so-called  "  Forest  Towns,"  which 
for  centuries  belonged  to  the  house  of  Hapsburg. 
The  first  of  them  is  called  Waldshut,  a  name  having 
precisely  the  same  signification  as  that  of  Custodia 
Silvce,  which  it  bore  a  thousand  years  ago.  In  those 
days  what  is  now  a  town  consisted  only  of  a  solitary 
forest-house  standing  in  the  pine-covered  wilderness. 

Near  this  place  the  Aar  runs  into  the  Rhine.  It 
is  a  wild  mountain-stream  Avhich  descends  nearly 
seven  thousand  feet  from  the  Grimsel,  and  in  its 
rapid  course  collects  all  the  watery  treasures  of  the 
Bernese  highlands  in  order  to  offer  them  in  homage 
to  the  Rhine. 

The  landscape  through  which  we  now  pass  corre- 
sponds to  the  name  which  the  four  towns  bear.  It  is 
covered  with  forest,  high  beeches  stand  on  either 
side,  and  the  lovely  stream  glides  almost  hidden 
under  the  branches.  The  waters  are  as  blue  as  the 
sky  above,  and  so  clear  that  the  sun  pierces  to  the 
gravel  on  the  bed  beneath.  Only  a  smoking  kiln  or 
a  floating  raft  reminds  us  of  the  hand  of  man.  Grad- 
ually the  banks  widen,  the  beech  wood  becomes  less 
dense,  green  fields  border  the  strand,  and  in  the  dis- 
tance there  stand  the  reapers,  merrily  bringing  in  the 
harvest. 

Yonder  is  Lauffenburg.      The  change  in  the  land- 


SCHAFFHAUSEN.  79 

scape  is  startling,  a  sharp  turn  of  the  stream,  Avhich 
brings  out  the  full  force  of  the  current,  lies  suddenly 
before  our  eyes — the  broken  rocks  draw  together, 
narrow  and  rugged,  and  between  them  the  river 
wearily  beats  out  its  way.  The  water  eddies  and 
splashes  round  the  deeply-embedded  boulders,  the 
white  foam  crests  the  points,  and  many  of  them  are 
already  so  washed  away  that  it  seems  as  though  every 
hour  they  must  crash  together. 

This  is  a  last  relic  of  the  river's  stormy  youth,  it 
is  a  weak  echo  of  that  great  feat  which  the  Rhine 
performed  at  Schaffhausen ;  and  we  recognize  it  in 
its  present  name,  for  these  rapids  are  called  "  the 
Lauffen."  At  one  time,  if  it  was  required  for  ships 
to  go  farther,  they  were  let  down  by  ropes ;  but  it  is 
rarely  that  any  one  attempts  this  perilous  journey 
now.  It  was  attempted,  however,  by  young  Lord 
Montague,  who  was  drowned  in  the  river  on  the  same 
day  that  his  ancestral  home  in  England  was  destroyed 
by  fire. 

Even  apart  from  this  melancholy  fact,  which  still 
remains  indelibly  fixed  in  the  minds  of  the  inhabit- 
ants, Lauffenburg  has  a  dull,  almost  gloomy,  charac- 
ter. The  weather-beaten  houses  which  stand  high  up 
on  the  narrow  bank  look  as  though  they  had  grown 
up  out  of  the  splintered  rocks.  The  front  is  turned 
away  from  the  stream,  and  the  gray  wall  at  the  back 
is  enlivened  with  but  few  windows. 

The  town  stands  somewhat  pecidiarly.      Below  it 


80  THE  RHINE. 

is  the  roaring  whirlpool^  the  gray  houses  are  perched 
on  the  rocks,  and  above  them  stretches  a  dark-green 
wooded  hill,  on  the  summit  of  which  stands  the  walls 
of  a  castle.  This  castle  has  long  been  ruined  and 
tenantless,  only  the  old  tower  still  stands  in  its  ancient 
majesty  ;  no  banner  waves  from  its  walls,  but  a  fir- 
tree  which  planted  itself  hundreds  of  years  ago  among 
the  battlements  now  stands  like  a  symbol  of  the  glory 
which  has  past. 

A  narrow  bridge,  half  composed  of  wood,  joins  the 
towns  of  Great  and  Little  LaufFenburg,  and  unites 
Switzerland  to  the  German  Empire.  Down  on  the 
smooth-washed  shingle  below  all  kinds  of  fishing- 
tackle  are  spread  out,  together  with  fine  nets  stretched 
on  pegs  ;  for  this  is  one  of  the  most  important  places 
for  salmon.  In  one  part,  where  the  water  is  shallow 
and  sunny,  the  number  of  young  fish  is  sometimes  so 
great  as  to  darken  the  surface.  The  fishery  is  the 
most  important  trade  in  the  whole  of  this  district, 
though,  near  at  hand,  we  hear  the  iron  hammer  of 
the  quarry  ring  out  from  the  woods,  and  the  piled-up 
logrs  on  the  bank  show  that  the  timber-trade  also 
flourishes. 

Soon  we  reach  the  last  two  of  the  four  "  forest 
towns,"  Sackingen  and  Rheinfelden.  The  former, 
which  is  considered  to  be  the  oldest  town  of  the 
neighborhood,  had  a  religious  origin,  having  been 
founded  by  one  of  the  missionaries  who  came  over 
from  Ireland  at  the  beginning  of  the  sixth  century. 


Z\)c  iRbinetall  at  Scbaftbausen. 


SCHAFFHAUSEN.  81 

"  JusquTi  ce  temps,  Satan  avait  exclusivement  regne 
sur  le  grand-duche  de  Bade,"  says  one  of  the  French 
chroniclers  Avhom  we  have  ah'eady  quoted  ;  the  holy 
Fridolm,  m  order  to  put  an  end  to  the  heathen  cus- 
toms and  disarm  the  arts  of  the  devil,  erected  a  mon- 
astery to  oppose  the  great  enemy. 

This  monastery,  Avhich  was  also  a  citadel,  soon 
gained  worldly  power  as  well  as  spiritual  dominion, 
and  is  said  by  many  writers  to  be  the  oldest  monas- 
tery standing  on  German  ground.  The  princely 
splendor  which  it  once  possessed  has  long  since  passed 
away,  for  Fridolin  has  lain  for  more  than  a  thousand 
years  enshrined  among  his  own  relics,  and  probably 
but  few  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  empire  would  have 
known  anything  of  Sackingen  had  not  the  celebrated 
"  Trumpeter  "  spread  its  fame  throughout  the  world. 
The  impression  that  the  present  toAvn  makes  on  us  is 
that  it  much  resembles  the  little  municipal  towns  of 
Baden. 

Rheinfelden,  the  last  of  the  four  forest  towns,  lies 
on  Swiss  territory.  It  has  old  weather-worn  w^alls, 
gates,  and  towers,  and  was  formerly  one  of  the  out- 
posts of  the  Holy  Roman  Empire.  In  the  stream  is 
that  whirling  eddy  called  ''  HoUenhacken,"  and  near 
by  are  the  famous  salt  works  on  the  Rhine. 

For  those  who  have  time  to  remain,  there  are  sev- 
eral things  to  be  learned  even  in  Rheinfelden.  A 
dreaded  stronghold  once  stood  on  the  rocks  which  lie 
in  the  middle  of  the  stream.  The  name  of  the  castle 
Vol.  I— 6 


82  THE  KHINE. 

was  Stein,  and  many  a  wild  conflict  raged  around  its 
walls  before  they  were  finally  destroyed,  and  many 
an  anxious  conference  has  been  held  by  the  citizens 
in  the  old  town  hall,  when  the  Imperialists,  Swedes, 
Swiss,  or  the  hordes  of  Louis  XIV.,  demanded  ad- 
mission through  its  gates. 


BASLE.  83 


CHAPTER    VI. 

BASLE. 

But  we  must  press  on  to  Basle,  the  place  which 
for  many  miles  around  is  the  centre  for  all  traffic. 
Thither  the  river  hastens,  and  thither  all  our  present 
interests  centre,  for  it  is  the  first  really  important 
town  on  the  Rhine. 

We  soon  land  beneath  its  walls  ;  in  the  distance  we 
see  shining  the  dark  tips  of  the  Black  Forest  range, 
as  well  as  those  of  the  Jura  and  the  Vosges,  and  in 
the  broad  valley  which  they  enclose  lies  the  level 
land  rich  Avith  golden  grain  and  green  vineyards.  It 
is  here  that  the  Rhine  takes  its  last  decided  turn  to 
the  north,  towards  Germany,  to  Avhich  henceforth  all 
its  splendor  and  all  its  renown  belong. 

The  very  first  effect  of  Basle,  as  it  lies  on  both 
sides  of  the  river,  is  striking  and  varied.  Nature 
and  history,  and  not  simply  accident  and  population, 
have  formed  it  into  a  town.  It  could  not  help  be- 
coming what  it  has.  There  is  every  development  of 
natural  power,  and  the  charm  of  this  impression  is 
increased  by  the  antique  historical  character  on  which 
its  present  condition  is  based.  The  prosperity  of 
Basle  has  been  handed  down  for  centuries.      Of  late 


84  THE  RHINE. 

handsome  villas  have  been  built  in  the  suburbs  ;  but 
the  older  parts  of  the  town  remain  as  they  have  been 
for  hundreds  of  years,  and  the  old-fashioned  burgher 
character  runs  through  the  nature  of  the  people,  and 
holds  them  fast  to  their  liberties.  Fischart  has  de- 
servedly sung  aloud  the  praises  of  the  "  charming 
town  "  of  the  Rhine. 

The  Rhine  was  the  great  storehouse  from  which 
the  town  drew  its  wealth,  and  became  what  it  was. 
It  was  the  Rhine  which  carried  thousands  of  foreign 
guests  and  foreign  treasures  to  Basle.  A  regular 
water  traffic  was  established  between  Basle  and  Stras- 
burg  as  early  as  the  sixteenth  century,  when  long 
caravans  of  merchants  were  still  wearily  dragging 
along  the  high-road.  The  paving  of  the  streets  be- 
gan in  1417,  and  the  wells  were  so  numerous  that 
^neas  Sylvius  observed  that  whoever  would  count 
them  must  count  the  houses  as  well.  The  old  Rhine 
town  was  always  proud  of  its  name,  and  the  bold 
struggles  it  made  would  vie  with  those  of  many  a 
city  in  which  princes  raised  their  thrones. 

The  Rhine  is  here  spanned  by  three  bridges.  The 
wooden  bridge,  Alte  Briicke,  partly  supported  by 
stone  piei'S,  was  originally  built  in  1225.  In  its 
centre  rises  a  chapel  of  the  sixteenth  century,  also  a 
column,  containing  a  barometer  and  a  weathercock. 
Above  this  wooden  bridge  the  river  is  crossed  by  a 
modern  iron  structure ;  at  each  entrance  of  this  bridge 
stand  two  basilisks — the  well-known  standards  of  the 


.  BASLE.  85 

town  ;  they  are  as  much  feared  and  honored  as  many 
a  prmcely  lion,  or  imperial  eagle.  The  third  bridge, 
also  modern,  crosses  the  river  still  further  down. 

The  Romans  recognized  the  strategical  value  of 
Basle  for  the  rulers  of  the  Upper  Rhine,  when  they 
settled  their  colony  at  Augst  (Augusta  Rauracorum), 
the  parent  of  the  present  town.  It  was  from  here 
that  the  Emperors  Constantino  and  Julian  endeav- 
ored to  keep  down  the  rising  power  of  the  Alemanni, 
when  it  became  but  too  apparent  that  the  nations  of 
Europe  were  slowly  gathering  into  a  flood  wherewith 
to  overwhelm  the  Roman  countries,  and  to  SAveep  the 
worn-out  races  of  antiquity  from  the  earth. 

Every  opposition  to  such  a  force  was  pow^erless, 
and  Basilea  fell  like  other  towns  into  that  vast  inher- 
itance which  the  barbarians  wrested  from  the  hands 
of  the  dying  Romans.  Golden-haired  Alemanni  ruled 
here  and  far  around  in  Alsace  until  the  Franks  came, 
and  the  struggle  for  power  began  afresh.  Burgundy 
and  Germany,  bishop  and  burgesses  (among  whom 
various  families  had  distinguished  themselves  even  in 
Barbarossa's  time)  constantly  contended  for  the  mas- 
tery ;  and  Avhenever  the  storm  swept  over  Europe, 
the  great  town  at  the  bend  of  the  Rhine  bore  its 
part  in  it. 

The  zealous  monk,  Bernhard,  of  Clairvaux,  preached 
the  Crusade  in  the  cathedral  at  Basle.  Alexander  III. 
hurled  a  thunderbolt  of  excommunication  into  the  town 
because  it  remained  true  to  the  Emperor  j  but  the 


86  THE  EHINE. 

citizens  of  Basle  seized  the  Papal  legate  who  pro- 
claimed the  interdict,  and  threw  him  into  the  Rhine. 
Civil  and  party  contentions  of  all  kinds  have,  at 
various  times,  inflamed  the  citizens ;  but  their  char- 
acter for  energy  always  led  them  triumphantly  out  of 
their  dangers  and  difficulties,  and  the  town,  which 
now  has  a  population  of  90,000,  remains  in  its  flour- 
ishing condition  at  the  present  day.  In  1356  a  fear- 
ful earthquake  occurred,  and  in  1348  a  still  more 
fearful  plague  raged  among  the  people. 

It  is  vmfortunate  that  we  cannot  here  enter  into  a 
more  detailed  history  of  Basle,  for  in  its  firm  inde- 
pendent exclusiveness,  in  the  Avealth  of  its  intellect- 
ual and  political  tendencies,  it  presents  one  of  the 
most  attractive  subjects  of  study. 

Varnhagen  von  Ense,  who  has  treated  one  of  the 
historical  episodes  of  Basle  in  the  form  of  a  novel, 
well  draws  out  the  peculiarities  of  the  inhabitants  in 
powerful  language.  In  the  background  of  the  pict- 
ure the  mighty  forms  of  imperialism  are  always 
standing  out  in  strong  relief.  In  the  distant  past  we 
find  Saxon  and  Frankish  Emperors ;  later  on,  those 
of  the  Hohenstaufen  line ;  and,  in  stiU  more  recent 
times,  the  Counts  of  Hapsburg  are  presented  to  us. 
Some  are  girt  with  the  SAVord  of  war,  whilst  others 
are  conspicuous  only  in  the  bright  garments  of  fes- 
tivity. 

Here,  as  in  many  of  the  imperial  cities,  the  bish- 
opric  originaUy  formed  the  nucleus  from  which  the 


BASLE.  87 

town  spread,  and  the  free  men  who  settled  here  from 
other  places  put  themselves  under  the  protection  of 
the  Church.  The  ecclesiastical  possessions  constantly 
increased,  and  so  it  may  well  be  inferred  tliat  in  the 
infancy  of  the  town  the  bishops  were  its  popular 
rulers. 

Their  power  was  increased  by  the  fact  that  they 
were  often  members  of  noble  families,  and  generally 
stood  by  the  Emperor.  Haito  was  the  devoted  friend 
and  confidant  of  Charlemagne ;  Adalbero  was  the 
same  to  Henry  11. ;  Burchard  von  Hasenburg  stood, 
with  unswerving  fidelity  and  all  the  power  of  that 
warlike  time,  by  Henry  IV.,  who  went  to  Canossa  to 
do  penance  to  the  Pope.  Bishop  Ortlicb  rode  to  the 
Holy  Land  with  Conrad  III.,  and  Bishop  Henry 
fought  beside  Rudolph  of  Hapsburg,  at  Ganserfeld, 
against  the  powerful  Ottokar.  Rudolph  was  for  a 
long  time  the  bitter  enemy  of  tlie  town,  and  had 
striven  to  force  its  gates  with  fire  and  sword ;  but  his 
election  to  the  monarchy,  which  put  an  end  to  the 
fearful  '^  rulerless  period,"  at  once  brought  peace  to 
Basle.  The  feelings  of  all  parties  changed  ;  the  gates 
of  the  city,  which  had  been  resolutely  closed  to  the 
count,  opened  voluntarily  to  the  king,  and  the  two 
contending  parties  in  the  town  came  to  an  arrange- 
ment— Rudolph  atoning  for  past  injuries  by  lavishly 
bestowing  a  double  amount  of  favor  on  the  citizens. 

The  burgesses  did  not  extricate  themselves  from 
the  toils  of  this  spiritual  supremacy  without  a  hard 


88  THE  EHINE. 

struggle,  and  then  only  by  the  exercise  of  all  their 
strength.  At  length,  however,  their  hour  of  victory 
came.  If  it  might  be  said,  during  the  first  epoch, 
that  Basle  belonged  to  the  bishop,  it  might  truly  be 
said,  in  the  second,  that  Basle  belonged  to  the  citi- 
zens. The  city  had  to  preserve  and  adapt  this  inde- 
pendence through  serious  trials  of  all  kinds  both  at 
home  and  in  the  field ;  but  its  historical  importance 
increased  in  proportion  to  those  trials. 

Its  banner  waved  at  the  battle  of  St.  Jacob,  which 
has  been  called  the  Swiss  Thermopylae,  and  the  Coun- 
cil which  sat  within  its  walls  in  1431-1448,  during 
which  time  Pope  Felix  V.  returned  from  the  Con- 
clave, drew  the  eyes  of  Europe  to  Basle.  That  was 
the  time  Avhen  it  was  a  Free  City,  and  it  was  unde- 
niably the  period  of  its  greatest  prosperity.  All  its 
powers,  moral  and  physical,  were  in  the  highest  state 
of  development,  and  were  brought  out  by  the  diffi- 
culties it  had  to  encounter. 

Out  of  the  broad  framework  of  political  relations 
which  Basle  possessed  as  a  Free  City  of  the  Great 
Empire,  there  arose  gradually  a  closer  and  firmer 
combination  by  its  becoming  related  to  and  influ- 
enced by  its  proximity  to  the  Swiss  Confedera- 
tion. The  formal  and  solemn  completion  of  this 
step  of  confederation  followed  later,  in  the  July  of 
1501  ;  but,  although  the  boys  in  the  streets  sang 
^^  Hie  Schweit^erhodcn,^^  the  city  itself  remained  true 
to  its  German  forms,  and  the  feeling  of  the  intellect- 


BASLE.  ,  89 

ual  commonalty  found  a  neAV  lever  in  the  growth  of 
learning. 

Thus  the  Swiss  town  rose  out  of  the  Free  Town, 
which  in  its  turn  had  taken  the  place  of  the  bishop's 
town,  and  Basle  entered  upon  a  third  and  a  new 
epoch  in  that  form  which  brings  us  down  to  modern 
times.  It  is  from  this  view,  in  spite  of  all  the  glory 
of  its  wars  and  history,  that  the  present  importance 
of  the  town  is  based. 

The  first  road  which  we  take  through  Basle  leads 
straight  up  to  the  Cathedral,  which  lies  high  up  on 
one  of  the  two  hills  where  the  earliest  settlement  was 
established.  It  is  built  of  red  sandstone,  and,  with 
its  two  slender  towers,  is  a  conspicuous  feature. 
Nothing  remains  of  the  original  building ;  of  the  sec- 
ond (which  is  often  attributed  to  St.  Henry,  wdiile  at 
other  times  it  is  said  to  belong  to  the  twelfth  century) 
there  is  still  to  be  seen  the  choir  and  the  centre  of  the 
nave ;  all  the  rest  was  destroyed  by  that  terrible 
earthquake  that  ruined  castles  and  churches  for  miles 
round.  But  the  Minster  was  soon  opened  again  for 
worship,  by  the  active  influence  of  Bishop  Senno  of 
Miinsingen,  though  the  building  was  not  completed 
until  the  sixteenth  century,  when  it  exhibited  that 
ingenious  combination  of  various  styles  which  as- 
suredly has  a  charm  of  its  own. 

The  Cathedral  thus  restored  became  an  edifice 
which,  even  in  its  present  form,  has  a  great  effect  on 
every  unprejudiced  observer.     The  sculptures  on  the 


90  THE  EHINE. 

fa9aile  represent  the  Virgin  and  Child.  Near  the 
principal  doorway  are  the  figures  of  St.  George  and 
St.  Martin  on  prancing  horses,  and  next  them  the 
Emperor  Henry,  with  a  model  of  the  Church,  and 
the  Empress  Kunigunde.  On  the  northern  side  is 
the  St.  Gallus  porch,  which  is  rich  in  symbolical 
figures.  It  was  built  in  the  thirteenth  century,  and 
is  adorned  with  statues  of  the  Evangelists  and  John 
the  Baptist.  A  relief  of  the  Wise  and  Foolish  Vir- 
gins is  over  the  door.  In  six  niches  on  the  sides  are 
the  Works  of  Charity  ;  and  at  the  top  sits  Christ  on 
the  Judgment  seat,  at  the  Last  Day,  surrounded  by 
the  angels. 

The  eff'ect  of  the  interior  is  more  striking  than  is 
suggested  by  the  outside.  The  building  is  light  and 
lofty,  and  the  eye  travels  unobstructedly  down  the 
long  space  Avhich  is  terminated  by  a  magnificent 
rood-loft,  built  in  1381,  which  supports  a  fine  organ. 
That  and  the  chancel,  which  rises  gracefully,  are  the 
remarkable  points  of  the  Cathedral.  The  side-aisles 
are  rich  in  monuments  of  various  periods,  many  of 
them  being  memorials  of  entire  epochs. 

A  revieAV  of  the  whole  pomp  of  the  Imperial  power 
in  Germany,  and  of  the  prosperity  of  the  Free  Town, 
passes  before  our  eyes  as  we  gaze  upon  the  tomb 
where  Rudolph  of  Hapsburg  laid  his  wife  to  rest. 
And  who  does  not  think  of  the  brilliant  rise  of  learn- 
ing when  he  reads  upon  the  stone  :  "  Erasmus  of 
Rotterdam !"     In  his  time  Basle  reached  its  hijirhest 


JSaslc,  Swit3erlanC>. 


BASLE.  91 

intellectUcal  point.  All  branches  of  learning  found 
disting'ui.slied  representatives  in  the  young  colleges 
of  the  town,  and  near  at  hand  the  art  of  printing  had 
its  birth — an  art  by  -which  in  a  few  generations  the 
world  Avas  to  be  almost  transformed.  No  feeline:  of 
jealousy  checked  the  common  efforts  ;  in  those  days 
of  intellectual  power  ^'  you  might  have  supposed," 
wrote  Erasmus  to  his  friend,  "  that  all  possessed  but 
one  heart  and  one  soul." 

Hans  Holbein,  who  lived  in  Basle  from  1515  to 
1526,  did  for  Art  what  Erasmus  did  for  Learning. 
A  great  number  of  his  finest  pictures  are  collected  in 
the  Museum  of  the  town,  which,  next  to  the  Cathe- 
dral, is  indeed  its  most  important  treasure.  It  was 
established  only  as  f^ir  back  as  1849,  on  the  site  of 
the  former  Monastery  of  St.  Augustine,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  collecting  everything  serviceable  to  the  study 
of  the  Arts  and  Sciences. 

We  should  go  far  beyond  the  limits  of  our  space 
were  we  to  attempt  the  enumeration  of  the  treasures 
which  are  collected  here,  or  the  description  of  their 
artistic  and  historical  value ;  this  work  has  been 
already  done  by  abler  hands.  We  will  content  our- 
selves with  saying,  that  every  one  Avho  Avishes  to 
study  Hans  Holbein  cannot  omit  Basle. 

Holbein  was  born  at  Augsburg  in  1494 ;  but  when 
he  was  quite  a  boy  he  followed  his  father,  Avho  was  a 
painter  of  some  note,  to  Basle.  There  he  contracted 
an  intimacy  with  Erasmus,  whose  portrait  he  painted; 


92  THE  RHINE. 

and  it  was  Erasmus  who  was  responsible  for  his  leav- 
ing the  fatherland  and  going  to  England,  for  Erasmus 
gave  him  a  letter  to  Sir  Thomas  More,  who  intro- 
duced him  at  Court. 

Henry  VIII.,  recognizing  the  genius  of  the  obscure 
German  artist,  made  him  Court  painter,  and  gave 
him  a  liberal  pension.  But  Holbein  did  not  forget 
Basle,  for  in  painting  his  famous  picture  of  the  Vir- 
gin as  the  Queen  of  Heaven,  now  in  the  Dresden 
Gallery,  he  made  Jacob  Meyer,  of  Basle,  with  his 
family,  appear  prominently  in  the  picture. 

In  the  Library  at  Basle  is  a  fine  series  of  pan- 
els by  Holbein,  called  the  "  Passion  of  Christ." 
Hans  Holbein  died  in  London  during  the  plague,  in 
1553. 

Traces  of  the  great  master  are  to  be  found  not 
only  within  the  walls  of  the  Museum,  but  also  in  the 
open  streets.  The  Well  with  the  Peasant's  Dance, 
designed  by  Holbein,  still  flows  merrily;  and,  although 
the  colors  may  be  effaced  by  wind  and  weather,  the 
houses  are  still  pointed  out  which  have  been  adorned 
with  frescoes  from  Hans  Holbein's  pencil.  Had  he 
not  gone  to  England,  in  1526,  Basle  might  perhaps 
have  maintained  a  school  of  painting  of  European 
reputation. 

Some  fragments  of  his  celebrated  fresco  painting, 
"  The  Dance  of  Death,"  ai-e  still  to  be  seen.  These 
peculiar  figures  inspired  Goethe  to  write  the  follow- 
ing poem  . 


BASLE.  93 

"  The  warder  looks  down  at  the  mid  hour  of  night 
On  the  tombs  that?  lie  scattered  below  ; 
The  moon  fills  the  place  with  her  silvery  light, 
And  the  church-yard  like  day  seems  to  glow. 
When  see  !  first  one  grave,  then  another  opes  wide. 
And  women  and  men  stepping  forth  are  descried, 
In  cerements  snow-white  and  trailing. 

"  In  haste  for  the  sport  soon  their  ankles  they  twitch, 
And  whirl  round  in  dances  so  gay  ; 
The  young  and  the  old,  and  the  poor,  and  the  rich, 

But  the  cerements  stand  in  their  way  ; 
And  as  modesty  cannot  avail  them  aught  here 
They  shake  themselves  all,  and  the  shrouds  soon  appear, 
Scattered  over  the  tombs  in  confusion. 

"Now  waggles  the  leg  and  wiggles  the  thigh, 
As  the  troops  with  strange  gestures  advance. 
And  a  rattle  and  clatter  anon  rises  high. 

As  of  one  beating  time  to  the  dance. 
The  sight  of  the  warder  seems  monstrously  queer. 
When  the  villainous  tempter  speaks  thus  in  his  ear  : 
'  Seize  one  of  the  shrouds  that  lie  yonder  !' 

"Quick  as  thought  it  was  done  !  and  for  safety  he  fled 
Behind  the  church  door  with  all  speed  ; 
The  moon  still  contiimes  her  dear  light  to  shed 

On  the  dance  that  they  fearfully  lead. 
But  the  dancers  at  length  disappear  one  by  one. 
And  their  shrouds,  ere  they  vanish,  they  carefully  don, 
And  under  the  turf  all  is  quiet. 

"  But  one  of  them  stumbles  and  shuffles  there  still, 
And  gropes  at  the  graves  in  despair, 
Yet  'tis  by  no  comrade  he's  treated  so  ill ; — 

The  shroud  he  soon  scents  in  the  air. 
So  he  rattles  the  door— for  the  warder  'tis  well 
That  'tis  blessed,  and  so  able  the  foe  to  repel, 
All  covered  with  crosses  in  metal. 


94  THE  RHINE. 

"The  shroud  he  must  have,  and  no  rest  will  allow, 
There  remains  for  reflection  no  time  ; 
On  the  ornaments  Gothic  the  wight  seizes  now. 

And  from  point  on  to  point  hastes  to  climb. 
Alas  for  the  warder  !  his  doom  is  decreed. 
Like  a  long-legged  spider,  with  ne'er  changing  speed, 
Advances  the  dreaded  pursuer. 

"  The  warder  he  quakes,  and  the  warder  turns  pale, 
The  shroud  to  restore  fain  had  sought ; 
When  the  end — now  can  nothing  to  save  him  avail  ? — 

In  a  tomb  formed  of  iron  is  caught. 
"With  vanishing  lustre  the  moon's  race  is  run 
When  the  bell  thunders  loudly  a  powerful  one, 
And  the  skeleton  falls,  crushed  to  atoms." 

At  the  end  of  the  sixteenth  century  a  man  was 
born  in  Basle  who,  in  another  department  of  Art, 
may  be  said  to  have  gained  European  renown.  We 
refer  to  Matthew  Merian,  the  iUustrator,  engraver, 
and  pubHsher,  Avho,  in  a  set  of  works  Avhich  are  still 
much  valued,  set  before  the  cultivated  readers  of  his 
time  a  description  of  countries  and  towns,  much  in 
the  same  way  that  we  are  endeavoring  to  do  in  these 
pages.  Many  other  names  might  be  given  of  men 
who  have  distinguished  themselves,  but  we  should 
need  volumes  instead  of  pages  to  describe  them. 

Among  the  specimens  of  architecture  of  past  ages, 
the  Town  HaU,  erected  1508-1521,  deserves  to  be 
mentioned,  with  its  statue  of  Munatius  Plancus.  The 
various  city  gates  also  should  be  examined.  These 
old  gates  are  often  met  with,  and  some  of  them  are 
very  line.     The  reason  of  this  may  easily  be  seen, 


BASLE.  95 

for  in  the  idea  of  a  city  gate  there  is  something  more 
than  that  of  a  spacious  barrier — it  involves  the  prin- 
ciple of  a  dividing-point  between  the  burgess  who 
rules  and  the  peasant  who  serves.  The  whole  feeling 
of  the  political  power  of  the  town  is  embodied,  as  it 
were,  visibly  in  its  gates,  and  this  feeling  has  re- 
flected itself  on  the  artistic  power ;  the  architect 
would  naturally,  therefore,  feel  that  such  a  Avork  had 
a  deep  ideal  meaning,  as  well  as  a  practical  one,  and 
would  enrich  the  rough  stone  with  many  fanciful 
adornments  over  and  above  what  was  requisite  for 
the  material  end  for  which  the  gate  was  to  serve. 

The  Spahlenthor,  erected  in  1400,  is,  without 
doubt,  the  most  beautiful  of  the  gates  of  Basle.  A 
pointed  top  with  colored  bricks  covers  the  middle 
tower,  which  is  adorned  with  three  figures  of  saints, 
objects  which  were  for  a  long  time  venerated  in  all 
Sundgau.  The  two  side  towers  are  round,  and  firmly 
enclose  the  indented  gateway  which  affords  the  only 
exit.  The  traffic  is  naturally  the  greatest  in  that 
quarter  of  the  town  lying  near  the  Rhine,  and  it  be- 
comes more  busy  as  we  approach  the  long  bridge 
which  unites  the  two  parts  of  the  town.  Great  and 
Little  Basle. 

Thus  we  have  sought  to  give  a  sketch  of  Basle  in 
a  few  lines,  but  the  changes  which  the  town  has  ex- 
perienced within  the  last  few  years  are  truly  aston- 
ishing. Its  whole  aspect  has  been  varied ;  every- 
where we  see  the  effort  to  give  unbounded  dominion 


96  THE  EHINE. 

to  the  ideas  of  the  present  day,  and  on  every  side  we 
feel  that  Basle  also  has  entered  into  the  great  compe- 
tition of  the  period. 

It  resisted  modern  innovations  as  long  as  possible, 
and  even  the  most  obvious  improvements  were  adopted 
very  slowly.  While  Hanover  was  lighted  with  gas 
as  early  as  1829,  not  a  single  lamp  appeared  here. 
Forty  years  ago  it  seemed  an  impossibility  that  Basle 
should  ever  possess  a  so-called  "  Quay,"  like  other 
towns  situated  on  rivers.  Now,  however,  each  year 
millions  are  spent  in  public  works. 

Art  galleries,  music  halls  and  theatres  have  been 
built,  as  well  as  two  palatial  schools,  each  of  which 
cost  half  a  million  of  francs.  The  change  as  regards 
the  question  of  education  is  most  important,  for  in  it 
lies  the  great  problem  of  the  present  and  the  key  to 
the  future.  With  astonishment  we  relate  that  there 
are  teachers  in  Basle  who  are  millionaires.  "  You 
mean,  of  course,  individual  professors,  who  work  in 
your  colleges,"  we  said  to  the  learned  friend  who  gave 
us  this  information.  "  Not  at  all ;  I  mean  ordinary 
teachers ;  for  it  is  not  everyone  who  can  be  a  profes- 
sor !  The  position  itself,  whatever  school  he  may 
belong  to,  is  so  distinguished  with  us  that  no  one 
thinks  himself  too  rich  or  too  noble  for  it."  Under 
these  circumstances,  the  old  opposition  which  existed 
between  intellectual  and  material  possessions  has  been 
beneficially  reduced — the  understanding  which  exists 
between  the  rich  merchants,  the  patricians  and  the 


BASLE.  97 

scholars  is  so  cordial  and  unconstrained  that  we  can 
only  wish  it  existed  elsewhere. 

Thus  the  character  of  the  citizens  has  on  all  sides 
changed  for  the  better.  It  is  true  that  wealth  is  still 
an  important  and  ruling  element  in  Basle,  but  the 
consciousness  of  its  possession  has  long  been  asso- 
ciated with  the  knowledge  that  true  worth  must  be 
weighed,  not  counted.  Many  of  the  leading  young 
merchants  go  through  a  thorough  academic  course, 
and  more  pride  is  felt  in  performing  public  benefits 
than  in  indulging  in  personal  ostentation. 

The  domestic  life  of  these  people  is  generally  dis- 
tinguished by  a  rigorous  simplicity — and  it  is  only  on 
the  occasion  of  a  public  festival  or  some  other  impor- 
tant event  that  any  brilliant  parade  is  exhibited.  It 
happened  that  during  the  time  we  spent  in  the  hos- 
pitable Rhenish  town  a  great  race  took  place  on  the 
shooting-ground,  and  all  classes,  from  the  beggar  to 
the  millionaire,  streamed  out  of  the  town  to  the  race- 
course. It  was  the  right  time  to  see  the  people  in  a 
body,  and  to  study  their  manners  and  customs. 

It  was  on  a  Sunday  afternoon,  and  the  sky  was 
cloudless.  As  early  as  one  o'clock  the  motley  bustle 
began  ;  carriage  after  carriage  flew  along  the  road 
which  leads  through  the  Spahlenthor  into  the  broad 
meadows  where  the  soldiers  formerly  were  drilled ; 
the  harness  of  the  horses  was  adorned  with  colored 
ribbons  which  waved  in  the  wind ;  then  came  a 
wagon  drawn  by  four  great  horses  decorated  with 
Vol.  I.— 7. 


98  THE  EHINE. 

fir-branches  and  filled  with  soldiers  in  dark  uniforms 
— a  dozen  comrades  who  had  joined  together  to  enjoy 
themselves.  At  last  came  the  music  playing  merrily. 
All  the  footpaths  were  covered  with  cheerful  pedes- 
trians in  light  clothing,  for  the  air  Avas  of  summer 
warmth,  and  the  pretty  women  smiled  as  gaily  as 
though  it  were  their  own  special  gala  day. 

We  drove  noiselessly  over  the  smooth  turf  on  to 
the  course,  followed  by  itinerant  vendors  of  pro- 
grammes. Next  to  the  steeplechase,  which  was  bril- 
Hantly  carried  out,  the  greatest  interest  was  shown  in 
a  military  race  in  which  the  cavalry  appeared  mounted 
on  their  chargers.  They  were  mostly  the  sons  of  old 
burgher  families,  who  flew  past  on  their  fine  horses — 
though  in  coarse  uniform,  for  only  the  soldiers  and 
subalterns  were  admitted.  Nearly  every  competitor 
was,  naturally,  known  to  all  Basle,  and  each  one  was 
at  this  critical  moment  looked  upon  as  the  son  of  the 
whole  town.  The  shout  of  delight  with  which  the 
townspeople  greeted  the  smallest  advantage  which 
anyone  of  their  own  men  gained  over  a  native  of 
Zurich  or  Schaffhausen,  and  the  popularity  of  the 
competitors,  infected  even  strangers  with  a  feeling  of 
sympathy — it  was  that  local  patriotism  which  may  be 
recognized  still  in  the  free  cities — a  burgher  pride 
giving  itself  unrestrained  expression.  Still  more  in- 
teresting, however,  than  the  entertainment  itself  were 
the  observers,  the  elite  of  whom  were  in  the  inner 
circle  of  the  race-course.     Here  the   most  beautiful 


XTbe  Spablentbor,  Basle. 


BASLE.  99 

equipages  were  stationed  carriage  after  carriage ;  the 
old  gentleman  with  the  white  beard  and  delicate  pro- 
file talks  earnestly  with  his  business  friend,  Avhile  his 
beautiful  daughters  stand  on  the  dark-blue  cushions 
and  look  eagerly  at  the  course  through  their  opera- 
glasses.  Oh,  how  they  laugh  and  smile  when  a  hand- 
some rider  flies  past ! 

At  length  the  last  bugle  has  sounded  from  the 
judges'  stand,  and  preparations  are  made  for  the  re- 
turn home,  which  forms  no  unimportant  feature  in  the 
amusement  of  the  day.  The  whole  way  back  is 
thronged  with  a  lively  crowd,  and  every  variety  of 
visitor  is  to  be  met  with.  First  of  all  comes  at  a 
dignified  pace,  and  with  powdered  footmen,  the  gala 
carriage  of  a  rich  Spaniard  who  lives  in  Basle — which 
even  reckoned  a  Swedish  king  among  its  citizens. 
This  is  foUoAved  by  a  dashing  four-in-hand  with  dapple- 
gray  horses — then  comes  the  successful  gentleman 
rider,  in  his  jockey  costume,  driving  an  elegant  phaeton, 
and  he  is  followed  by  a  steady  old  gentleman  in  more 
sober  apparel.  The  whole  form  as  lively  a  cavalcade 
as  one  would  wish  to  see,  as  one  after  another  comes 
up  at  a  brisk  trot,  and  dashes  past  with  some  hasty 
greeting. 

At  about  six  o'clock  in  the  evening  the  great  table 
at  the  Three  Kings  is  laid  for  dinner.  This  hotel  is 
named  in  remembrance  of  the  time  Avhen  the  Empe- 
ror Conrad  II.  and  his  son  Henry  met  Rudolph  of 
Burgundy.     The  three  princes  possibly  took  up  their 


100  THE  EHINE. 

abode  at  this  place,  though  it  must  have  undergone 
great  changes  since  that  time.  Now,  by  the  light  of 
numerous  wax  candles,  visitors  from  all  the  countries 
of  Europe  assemble  in  the  stately  dining-room.  All 
sorts  of  curiosities  and  antiquities  adorn  the  walls, 
and  a  lofty  drawing-room,  hung  with  damask  curtains 
and  mirrors,  receives  the  guests  when  dinner  is  over. 
Outside  there  is  a  broad  terrace,  where  groups  of 
friends  assemble  under  the  starlit  sky  and  talk  of  the 
old  days  of  the  town,  while  the  flowing  river  at  their 
feet  catches  their  words  and  bears  them  away  on  its 
ripples. 


BREISGAU.  101 


CHAPTER    VII. 

BREISGAU . 

After  passing  Basle,  the  Ehine  goes  silently  and 
majestically  for  some  distance  northwards  without 
presenting  any  object  Avhich  specially  attracts  our  at- 
tention. The  fortress  of  Hilningen,  that  bold  sally- 
port which  Vauban  built  for  his  king,  has  long  been 
razed  to  the  ground,  so  that  our  eyes  can  follow  the 
whole  panorama  without  obstruction. 

About  three  miles  from  here  is  the  extensive  estab- 
lishment which,  since  1852,  has  been  replenishing 
the  neighboring  Avaters  with  fish.  Thousands  of  trout 
and  salmon  are  placed  every  year  in  the  Rhine  and 
Moselle,  and  large  quantities  of  smaller  fish  are  sent 
to  the  streams  of  Upper  Alsace. 

The  landscape  is  more  peaceful  than  beautiful,  and 
for  some  distance  may  almost  be  called  monotonous. 
On  all  sides  w^e  see  partially-deserted  river-beds, 
which  are  deep  and  green  ;  moist  pasture  and  high 
sedge  cover  the  banks  ;  and  on  both  sides  of  the  broad 
plain  rise  blue  hills.  We  are  midway  between  the 
Black  Forest  range  and  the  Vosges. 

The  former  extends  far  down  to  the  south,  and  its 
heights  reach  for  twentv  miles,  from   Siickingen  to 

LIBRARY 
UniVERSlTY  OF  CALIFORNIA 


102  THE  EHINE. 

Pforzheim.  Its  breadth  also  is  considerable,  deep 
valleys  opening  out  from  its  fir-covered  solitudes  into 
the  broad  valley  of  the  Rhine.  Neat  villages  and 
homesteads  are  dotted  here  and  there  on  the  dark 
mountains,  where  the  carved  brown  wooden  clocks 
tick  in  the  snug  little  dwelling-room,  while  the  axe 
outside  rings  in  the  forest  and  lays  low  tlie  primeval 
trunks,  which  are  then  carried  down  to  Holland  by 
the  Rhine. 

How  poetic  are  all  the  surroundings  of  the  dis- 
trict !  The  mere  name  of  the  Black  Forest  pos- 
sesses a  peculiar  charm  which  no  other  mountain- 
range  can  rival.  Elves  and  water-sprites  still  sport 
among  its  streams.  Who  does  not  remember  the 
beautiful,  though  melancholy  song,  in  which  the  home- 
sick wanderer  regrets  his  departure  from  his  beloved 
Black  Forest  ?  How  we  have  shuddered  as  children 
while  reading  the  fairy  tale  of  the  tall  ghostly  man 
who  sold  his  peace  of  mind  for  gold  !  In  the  night 
he  broke  off  the  most  gigantic  trunks  as  easily  as  if 
they  had  been  dry  rushes,  and  every  ship  that  carried 
even  one  plank  of  his  wood  went  hopelessly  to  the 
bottom.  He  was  called  Dutch  Michael,  but  the  name 
of  the  story  is  "  The  Cold  Heart,"  and  the  story 
comes,  with  many  others  like  it,  from  the  Black 
Forest. 

The  blue  mountain-chain  which  stretches  along  the 
other  side  of  the  Rhine  is  the  Vosges,  the  old  Was- 
gauwald,  which  reaches  from  Saverne   down  to  Miil- 


BREISGAU.  103 

hausen.  It  is  covered  Avitli  tall  beeches  and  firs,  and 
on  tlic  rocks  weatherworn  castles  stand  like  eyries. 
Their  ruins  still  speak  to  us  of  the  glory  of  the  races 
that  dwelt  here ;  for,  as  the  Black  Forest  Avas  the 
country  of  the  peasants,  so  the  Wasgau  was  the 
country  of  the  nobles.  We  hear  in  its  retired  valley 
not  only  the  Avoodraan's  axe,  but  also  the  smith's  iron 
hammer  fashioning  the  metals  that  are  found  in  the 
neighboring  mines,  and  we  see  the  blue  smoke  of  fur- 
naces rise  languidly  towards  the  deserted  castles. 
Those  extensive  plateaus  which  are  so  numerous 
among  the  mountains  of  the  Black  Forest  are  met 
with  much  more  rarely  in  the  Vosges ;  and  although 
it  must  be  admitted  that  usually  mountains  have  a 
greater  eflFect  from  their  massiveness  than  from  the 
fine  arrangement  of  their  forms,  yet  here  the  variety 
and  the  grouping  strikes  us  as  being  much  more  im- 
pressive than  that  in  the  Black  Forest ;  the  summits 
rise  one  above  another  threefold  and  fourfold,  like 
giant  forms  leaning  one  upon  the  shoulder  of  an- 
other. 

Passing  on,  we  come  to  Breisach.  This  was  once 
regarded  as  the  most  secure  portion  of  the  Holy  Ro- 
man Empire,  for  Breisach  was  considered  the  key  of 
Germany,  and  seemed  to  be  so  strongly  fortified  as  to 
be  safe  from  every  enemy.  It  stands  two  hundred 
and  forty  feet  above  the  Rhine,  and,  as  late  as  the 
tenth  century,  the  river  is  said  to  have  flowed  around 
the  town.     But,  like  so  many  things  connected  with 


104  THE  RHINE.  ; 

the  Holy  Roman  Empire,  it  only  seemed  secure.  No 
war  occurred  between  the  two  countries  from  which 
the  town  did  not  emerge  with  gaping  wounds.  Its 
worst  time  Avas  in  1793,  when  the  ragged  soldiery, 
to  the  cry  of  the  "  Marseillaise,"  satiated  with  crime, 
overran  the  weary  empire,  which  shook  to  its  very 
centre ;  even  to  this  day  the  town  has  not  quite  re- 
covered from  the  destruction  which  it  then  suffered. 
Nor  was  this  its  last  trial,  for  in  1870,  on  a  cold  No- 
vember night,  the  hissing  shells  flew  hither  across  the 
Rhine,  and  for  six  days  the  enemy's  fire  continued  to 
pour  into  the  town  until  the  French  fortress.  New 
Breisach,  surrendered. 

The  landscape  in  which  the  two  towns  are  situated, 
as  we  have  already  stated,  is  not  striking,  and  may, 
indeed,  be  said  to  be  somewhat  melancholy  and 
mournful.  The  two  chains  of  mountains,  the  Vosges 
and  the  Black  Forest,  lie  far  apart ;  the  low-lying 
land  betAveen  them  appears  as  a  large  level  plain ; 
the  sky  overhead  is  dull,  and  is  reflected  in  the  river, 
with  gray  rain-swollen  clouds.  As  we  pass,  herons 
rise  from  the  stagnant  waters,  which  are  parted  from 
the  river  by  strong  embankments,  and  even  the  broad 
handsome  street  that  leads  across  into  Alsace  looks 
quite  deserted.  Thus  there  seems  to  be  a  curious 
sense  of  loneliness  about  this  place  which  is  increased 
by  a  damp  mist,  which  often  fills  the  air,  and  forms 
a  suitable  background  for  the  brown  weatherworn 
town. 


BKEISGAU.  105 

The  rock  on  wliioli  old  Breisacli  is  perched  falls 
precipitously  towards  the  bank  of  the  Rhine.  The 
turrets  of  the  Minster  tower  above  the  dark  gabled 
roofs,  Avails,  and  fortifications,  its  connnanding  and 
characteristic  appearance  influencing  the  form  of  the 
whole  town.  The  church  is  dedicated  to  St.  Stephen, 
one  of  the  great  martyrs,  who  courageously  faced  his 
persecutors  even  while  dying  under  their  stone  mis- 
siles. The  proud  temple  is  indeed  worthy  of  its 
noble  patron,  for,  as  the  watch-tower  of  the  German 
Empire,  it  may  also  be  said  to  have  often  suffered 
martyrdom.  It  still  stands,  however,  in  spite  of  the 
cannon  of  the  enemy,  and  is  now  being  restored. 

We  cannot  leave  the  neighborhood  of  Breisach 
without  making  an  excursion  inland,  for  at  only  a 
short  distance  is  situated  Freiburg  in  Breisgau,  one 
of  the  loveliest  of  South  German  towns. 

After  a  short  drive  from  Breisach  Ave  reach  the 
mountain- chain  of  the  Black  Forest,  which  descends 
in  long  soft  lines  into  the  A\alley  ;  it  is  the  place 
where  the  Dreisam  emerges  from  the  movmtains  into 
the  plain,  and  there  the  old  Zahringers  built  their 
castle.  The  town  extends  at  its  feet  along  the  hill- 
side. The  antiquated  gray  houses  are  almost  out- 
numbered by  the  handsome  villas  lying  among  their 
gardens ;  but  high  above  them  all,  seeming  as  we  ap- 
proach it  to  overlook  even  the  outlines  of  the  moun- 
tains, Ave  see  the  huge  Cathedral  buildings.  The 
graceful  perforated  spire  stands  out  against  the  back- 


106  THE  EHINE. 

ground,  not  clear  and  sharp,  as  elsewhere,  but  almost 
as  if  shaded  with  sombre  gray. 

As  Ave  approach,  the  grandeur  of  its  form  increases, 
until  we  stand  actually  before  it.  As  the  Cathedral 
was  the  first  object  Avhich  met  our  eyes  in  the  dis- 
tance, it  shall  be  the  first  visited  Avhen  we  have 
reached  the  place  ;  for,  indeed,  it  is  one  of  those  won- 
derful Avorks  the  beauties  of  which  increase  rather 
than  diminish  on  a  closer  inspection.  The  Cathedral 
of  Freiburg,  founded  by  Conrad,  brother  of  Berthold 
m.,  in  1123,  is  of  inestimable  value  to  the  history 
of  Art,  from  the  fact  of  its  being  the  only  German 
church  which  the  middle  ages  have  handed  down  to 
us  completed,  though  it  is  true  that  later  times  have 
made  many  superfluous  additions. 

Viewed  from  the  outside  the  nave  of  the  church 
appears  much  lower  and  shorter  than  it  really  is  on 
account  of  the  height  and  position  of  the  spire,  which 
is  placed  immediately  over  the  principal  doorway. 
This  false  impression,  hoAvever,  A^anishes  as  soon  as 
we  are  inside.  Suddenly  everything  groAvs  to  ma- 
jestic proportions,  the  gray  pillars  rise  high  on  every 
side,  and  the  eye  can  scarcely  take  in  the  whole 
width  from  the  door  to  the  choir  in  one  glance. 
The  great  transepts  on  each  side  of  the  Gothic 
high-altar  are  adorned  with  paintings  by  the  hand  of 
an  old  German  master,  and  on  either  side  are  the 
richly -carved  stalls  of  the  church  dignitaries.  Here, 
as    in    all    great    cathedrals,    the    aisles    which    run 


BEEISGAU.  107 

pai'callel  with  the  nave  are  more  or  less  the  domain 
of  the  dead. 

Along  the  walls  are  the  tombs  and  sculptured 
figures  of  knights  who  have  assisted  to  establish  the 
prosperity  of  the  town,  either  by  enriching  it  with 
their  goods  or  defending  it  Avith  their  swords.  The 
Minster  of  Freiburg  has  had  its  friends  and  its  rich 
donors,  of  whom  it  was  proud.  Their  renown  is 
handed  down  to  posterity  in  graceful  monuments  ;  all 
the  little  chapels  Avhich  adorn  the  outer  circumfer- 
ence of  the  choir  are  crowded  with  such  memorials. 
One  belongs  to  the  university,  and  contains  the 
tombs  of  the  great  scholars  Avho  have  become  cele- 
brated there.  The  altar-piece  of  the  university 
chapel  is  by  Hans  Holbein,  painted  in  1520,  and  rep- 
resents the  Wise  Men  from  the  East  humbly  adoring 
at  the  manger  of  the  Holy  Child. 

In  another  chapel  we  find  costly  wood  carvings,  and 
the  light  breaks  with  wonderful  eff"ect  through  a 
stained-glass  window.  The  Byzantine  crucifix  of 
heavy  embossed  silver  was  brought  here  from  the 
Holy  Land  by  a  Crusader,  and  dedicated  to  the  ser- 
vice of  the  sacred  place  ;  for  these  walls  were  stand- 
ing even  at  the  time  of  the  Crusades,  when  Bern- 
hard  of  Clairvaux  preached  in  the  unfinished  build- 
ing, and  with  burning  zeal  called  all  Christendom  to 
arms. 

Seven  centuries  have  passed  since  that  time,  and 
the  battle-call  has  often  sounded  for  far  different  aims : 


108  THE  KHINE. 

yet  still,  as  we  stroll  at  twilight  within  these  massive 
walls,  when  the  last  rays  of  the  setting  sun  fall  through 
the  pointed  windows,  it  seems  as  though  the  stony 
figures  move  again,  and  a  breath  of  the  glowing 
spirit  of  that  inspired  monk  still  lingers  round  the 
place.  We  feel  unconsciously  that  the  age  in  which 
he  labored  was  a  great  one.  Christianity  was  then 
in  its  youth,  and  in  the  fulness  of  its  heroism  it  longed 
to  perform  some  deed  worthy  of  its  cause.  It  was 
the  lofty  idealism  of  its  teaching  which  then  drew  the 
sword,  and  not  the  gloomy  fanaticism  which,  five  cen- 
turies later,  plunged  the  world  into  the  horrors  of  the 
Thirty  Years'  War ! 

The  open  place  or  square  on  which  the  Cathedral 
stands  is  spacious  and  handsome,  its  most  beautifid 
object  being  the  ancient  Town  Hall,  erected  in  the 
fifteenth  century,  which  stands  almost  immediately 
opposite  the  south  door.  This  is  built  of  red  sand- 
stone, and  is  of  only  moderate  height,  but  its  open 
arcade,  adorned  with  shields,  its  handsome  balcony 
and  Gothic  windows,  give  it  a  highly-characteristic 
and  original  appearance.  The  statues  which  are 
placed  between  the  windows  are  of  about  the  same 
period  as  the  building  itself;  they  represent  the  Em- 
peror Max,  the  last  of  the  knights,  and  Charles  V., 
upon  whose  empire  the  sun  never  set  ;  and  between 
them  Philip  I.  and  King  Ferdinand. 

As  we  stroll  leisurely  through  the  streets,  we  find 
many  relics  of  the  time  when  the   House  of  Haps- 


/IDaikctplacc  aiiJ)  Ikautoaus, 


BREISGAU.  109 

burg  ruled  in  Breisgcau  ;  many  an  antique  gable  rises 
boldly  beside  the  flat  roof  of  a  modern  house,  and  the 
fountains  in  the  High  Street  still  murmur  in  the  same 
tones  that  greeted  the  ears  of  the  princes  of  the  arch- 
ducal  house  when  they  rode  forth  to  the  tournaments. 
But  the  feeling  of  the  citizens  has  totally  changed 
since  those  days  ;  they  are  no  longer  moved  by  the 
traditions  of  imperial  dominion,  but  by  the  magic  charm 
of  Freedom,  which,  having  been  latent  in  the  name 
of  the  town,  sprang  to  life  in  the  hearts  of  the  people, 
and  Freiburg  became  unexpectedly  one  of  the  most 
powerful  and  enlightened  towns  of  South  Germany. 

On  the  Kaiser-Strasse  stands  a  granite  pedestal 
surmounted  by  a  bronze  figure  of  Victory.  It  is  a 
war  monument,  erected  by  the  Austrian  Government 
in  1876  to  the  Fourteenth  German  Army  Corps  and 
its  brave  leader.  General  von  Werder. 

Intellectual  progress  went  hand  in  hand  Avith  out- 
ward development,  and  the  population  and  the  extent 
of  the  town  increased  rapidly.  An  observer  looking 
down  upon  the  town  from  the  renowned  Schlossberg, 
could  hardly  imagine  it  to  be  the  same  place  in  whose 
colleges  he  had  sat,  perhaps  forty  years  before,  at  the 
feet  of  Rotteck  and  Welcker.  A  long  avenue  planted 
with  chestnut-trees  leads  us  at  last  to  the  gate. 
Stately  houses,  built  in  the  style  of  the  modern  villa, 
stand  right  and  left  of  us,  for  quite  a  colony  of  dis- 
tinguished foreigners  have  settled  here  within  the 
last  few  years. 


110  THE  RHINE. 

Again  we  catch  the  sound  of  running  water,  and 
we  see  before  us  a  well,  with  a  broad  basin  made  of 
red  sandstone.  On  the  pillar,  which  rises  out  of  the 
water,  there  stands  the  stone  figure  of  a  monk  hold- 
ing a  Bible  in  his  right  hand,  while  his  left  is  thought- 
fully supporting  his  chin.  What  ominous  thoughts 
are  working  beneath  that  overhanging  brow  !  It  is 
Berthold  Schwarz,  who  was  a  native  of  Freiburg,  and 
the  idea — the  DanJie  gift  which  he  left  behind  him  for 
mankind,  was — Gunpowder ! 

His  real  name  was  Konstantin  Anklitzen,  but  Ber- 
thold was  the  name  he  took  on  entering  the  cloister, 
and  Schwarz  (black)  was  a  sobriquet  given  him  in 
consequence  of  his  occult  pursuits. 

How  he  must  have  started  up  affrighted,  in  his 
quiet  cell,  when  the  first  report  crashed  unexpect- 
edly out  of  the  mortar !  Since  then  whole  towns 
have  been  reduced  to  ruins  and  armies  stricken  down  ; 
for  a  few  grains  of  his  magic  powder  suffices  to  shat- 
ter the  strength  of  the  boldest  body,  and  the  power 
of  the  noblest  mind  !  The  stone  monk  muses,  half- 
troubled,  half-wondering.  How  many  ideas  has  his 
idea  destroyed ! 


THE  VOSGES  COUNTRY.  Ill 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

THE    VOSGES    COUNTRY. 

A  SHORT  time  only  has  elapsed  since  the  Rhine, 
flowing  under  the  walls  of  Breisach,  separated  two 
great  nations,  two  noble  countries,  two  mighty  foes. 
The  Rhine  was  the  visible  type  of  the  great  political 
gap  which  separated  Germany  from  the  rest  of  the 
world.  For  two  hundred  years,  since  Louis  XIV., 
the  office  of  the  Rhine  has  been — to  separate.  Now 
that  the  old  communion  between  mother  and  daughter 
has  been  re-established,  it  will  assert  its  uniting  in- 
fluence, and  the  Rhine  will  help  us,  more  than  any 
human  instrument  could  do,  to  promote  a  mutual  un- 
derstanding between  the  races  which  had,  unfortu- 
nately, become  strangers  to  one  another. 

We  will  now  pass  over  to  the  other  side  of  the 
river,  to  that  district  which  is  known  as  Upper  Alsace. 
In  olden  times,  when  the  sons  of  the  Carlovingian 
king  divided  their  inheritance,  it  was  called  Sundgau. 

We  have  already  seen  from  a  distance  the  broad 
street  that  leads  over  the  Rhine  to  Colmar.  This  is 
the  road  along  which  we  have  now  to  go,  between 
the  lofty  poplars  which  stand  on  either  side.  We 
soon  come  within   sight  of  New   Breisach,  with  its 


112  THE  KHINE. 

deserted  trenches  which  surround  the  fortress.  Fort 
Mortier  projecting  far  out  commands  the  flat  plain, 
and  we  rattle  through  its  gate.  Freshly  cut  in  the 
sandstone  is  the  imperial  eagle,  and  underneath  it  the 
word  "  Germany,  1870." 

Breisach  is  a  small  and  unpretending  little  town, 
although  it  possesses  its  Grand  Cafe,  as  may  be  seen 
from  its  signboard ;  the  houses  are  seldom  more  than 
one  story  high,  and  the  grass  grows  plentifully  be- 
tween the  paving-stones.  There  is  an  absence  of 
bustle  in  the  place  and  its  inhabitants. 

The  road  which  leads  from  here  to  Colmar  goes 
straight  through  the  wood ;  it  may  be  seen  lying  for 
a  couple  of  miles  in  front  of  us.  Sometimes  we  have 
only  low  bushes  on  either  side,  then  green  firs  with 
their  slender  trunks,  and  then  we  have  meadows  and 
pastures.  Here  the  last  load  of  hay  is  being  carried, 
and  the  reapers  are  eating  their  supper  under  an  old 
nut-tree  by  the  roadside,  and  a  little  village  peeps  out 
from  among  the  trees.  Nearly  all  the  houses  are 
cleanly  whitewashed,  so  that  they  have  a  very  bright 
appearance,  with  their  pointed  roofs. 

The  inn  is  distinguished  by  the  sign  of  a  great 
star,  and  is  the  principal  one  in  the  place.  Wagons 
stand  before  the  door,  and  the  drivers  are  gathered 
together  in  a  noisy  chattering  crowd.  All  is  cheerful 
bustle  ;  but  the  time  for  tarrying  is  short.  A  glass 
of  beer  is  quickly  ordered,  and  as  soon  disposed  of; 
each  man  exchanges  a  few  words  hurriedly  with  the 


THE  VOSGES  COUNTRY.  113 

nearest  group,  and  then  sets  off  -with  his  powerful 
team,  making  way  for  the  next  bird  of  passage  to 
take  his  place. 

It  is  about  two  hours'  drive  from  Breisach  to  Col- 
mai",  and  then  we  rattle  noisily  through  the  streets  of 
the  old  town.  Every  minute  we  turn  a  corner ;  all 
the  houses  have  gables  and  balconies,  and  in  the 
streets  the  idle  lads  stand  gaping  at  us  as  we  pass. 

Colmar,  Avith  its  thirty  thousand  inhabitants  and  its 
picturesque  and  historical  reminiscences,  has  become 
a  very  quiet  place,  and  appears  to  have  stood  still  for 
ages.  It  once  had  its  time  of  prosperity,  but  that  was 
six  centuries  ago,  in  the  days  of  the  great  Hohen- 
staufen,  when  Frederick  II.  was  Emperor  of  Ger- 
many, and  the  old  walls,  which  had  once  been  only  a 
Frankish  manor,  w^ere  elevated  to  the  position  of  an 
imperial  city.  The  citizens  have  never  forgotten  this 
fact,  and  have  always  prided  themselves  on  being 
truly  imperial.  At  the  worst  time  they  stood  by  the 
Empire  with  unswerving  courage. 

No  other  town  in  Germany  showed  such  fidelity  as 
Colmar.  In  1474  it  courageously  forbade  Charles 
the  Bold  to  enter  jts  walls,  when  he  attempted  to  en- 
force his  purchased  rights  with  the  sword ;  and  when 
Louis  XIV.  seized  upon  Alsace  it  resisted  the  incor- 
poration Avith  France  with  an  energy  which  bordered 
on  despair.  Colmar  also  bore  its  banner  aloft  in  the 
intellectual  struggle  for  Art  and  Learning,  and  men 
whose  memory  is  still  honored  by  the  world  were  at 
Vol.  I. -8 


114  THE  KHINE. 

that  time  proud  to  be  its  citizens.  Martin  Schon,  the 
greatest  German  artist  of  the  fifteenth  century,  was 
born  and  died  here. 

The  annexation  to  France  was  a  turning-point  for 
both  sides — for  the  moral  power  is  greatly  influenced 
by  the  political — the  German  imperial  city  became  a 
French  provincial  town,  and  the  "Great  King"  Louis 
XIV.  seemed  to  imagine  that  subjugated  countries 
estimated  the  greatness  and  power  of  their  conquer- 
ors in  proportion  to  the  severity  of  the  treatment 
they  received  at  their  hands.  The  persecutions 
which  were  soon  heaped  upon  the  Reformers  were 
received  in  deep  dejection,  and  even  by  the  French 
it  was  asserted  that  the  reconciling  of  Colmar  to  its 
fate  was  retarded  for  nearly  a  century  by  the  harsh- 
ness with  which  the  people  were  treated. 

But  what  did  that  matter  to  the  all-powerful  ruler 
at  Versailles ;  his  answer  to  every  question  was, 
"  Tel  est  notre  plaisir."  So  the  town  mourned  :  the 
"  Sovereign  Court  of  Justice  "  which  was  bestowed 
upon  it  was  but  a  poor  substitute  for  the  glory  of  its 
old  freedom ;  and  Voltaire,  in  deep  mockery,  recalls 
the  fact  that  once  the  works  of  the  great  Bayle  were 
burnt  in  the  market-place  at  Colmar.  The  proud 
Corsican  also  thought  no  better  of  the  town,  for, 
although  two  of  the  most  brilliant  leaders  of  the 
French  army,  Bruatt  and  Rapp,  came  from  here,  he 
repaid  it  with  the  deepest  contempt.  His  merciless 
sentence  was   "  Colmar  is  a  hole."     Monuments  to 


THE  VOSGES  COUNTRY.  115 

Admiral  Bruatt  and  Greneral  Rapp,  designed  by  Bar- 
tholdi,  now  stand  in  Colmar. 

Walking  through  the  streets  and  looking  up  at  the 
houses,  it  seems  as  if  we  had  plunged  into  the  middle 
of  the  old  German  period :  the  Town  Hall,  with  its 
slender  spire  and  the  graceful  perforated  stone  gal- 
lery which  runs  along  under  the  roof;  the  Pfister 
House,  and  many  other  buildings,  are  monuments  of 
architecture  as  fine  as  any  to  be  found  even  in  Nurem- 
berg and  Augsburg.  A  touch  of  grace  is  given  even 
to  the  police  station — a  building  rarely  associated  with 
pleasure — for  over  the  ugly  fagade  there  is  a  balcony 
of  wonderfiJ  elegance. 

We  have  only  to  turn  to  iind  ourselves  opposite 
the  Cathedral,  which  was  built  by  Master  Humbert ; 
his  monument  stands  under  the  east  door.  Although 
the  exterior  possesses  a  certain  crudeness,  the  effect 
of  the  whole  is  imposing  and  harmonious ;  and  sim- 
ple as  the  interior  appears,  it  is  not  wanting  in  sanc- 
tity. The  broad  choir,  dating  from  1350,  is  particu- 
larly beautiful  and  calm,  Avith  its  old  dark-brown 
woodwork.  The  carved  door  which  leads  into  the 
sacristy  hides  one  of  the  noblest  treasures  of  mediis- 
val  art — ''  The  Madonna  Among  the  Roses,"  which 
Martin  Schon  bequeathed  to  the  town. 

No  one  disturbed  us  as  we  made  our  tour  of  the 
spacious  aisles  |  here  and  there  a  blind  beggar  stood 
in  a  corner  and  muttered  a  petition  for  alms,  close  by 
two  or  three  children  whispered,  and  one  old  woman 


116  THE  RHINE. 

Scat  nodding  in  a  chair.  Before  every  seat  was  a 
white  card  bearing  the  name  of  the  owner.  By  look- 
ing through  the  rows  of  names  it  could  be  deter- 
mined how  far  the  German  element  still  survived ; 
the  result  showed  it  to  be  a  large  proportion  of  the 
whole.  It  is  true  that  many  an  honest  citizen  had 
added  an  accent  grave  or  an  accent  acute,  but  the 
greater  number  of  the  names  had  German  endings, 
such  as  bieder,  miiUer,  hauscr,  haiier,  etc. 

We  now  ascend  a  winding  stairway  not  far  from 
the  gate,  and  find  ourselves  in  a  little  turret  room ; 
we  step  out  on  the  dizzy  parapet  of  the  tower,  and 
the  vast  prospect  stretches  before  us.  On  one  side 
we  see  the  chain  of  the  Vosges  rise  in  the  clear  morn- 
ing light ;  villages  stud  the  valley,  and  many  a  lordly 
castle  stands  on  the  heights.  Over  yonder,  where 
the  horizon  almost  vanishes  in  the  haze  of  the  dis- 
tance, Ave  can  just  distinguish  some  towers.  They 
are  the  walls  of  Schlettstadt,  and  they  point  the  path 
we  are  to  follow. 

But  before  we  turn  northward  in  order  to  continue 
the  course  of  the  Rhine,  the  adjacent  neighborhood 
offers  many  attractions  which  we  must  not  forget. 
Here  the  Alsatian  saying  first  becomes  true — 

"  Three  castles  on  one  hill, 
Three  churches  in  one  church  yard, 
Three  cities  in  a  row, 
By  these  you  may  Alsatia  know  " 

The  number  is  still  true,  for  not  far   from  Egisheim 


THE  VOSGES  COUNTRY.  117 

Ave  see  three  towers  on  a  wooded  liill,  which  appear 
to  stand  in  a  line,  and  bear  the  curious  name  of 
"  The  Three  Axes."  Actually  they  stand  obliquely 
behind  one  another,  and  are  the  towers  of  one  and 
the  same  fortress,  each  of  them  bearing  its  own 
special  title,  namely,  Weckmund,  Wahlenburg,  and 
Dagsburg,  names  which  remind  us  of  bygone  days. 

Egisheim  is  one  of  the  numerous  castles  which 
claim  the  honor  of  being  the  birthplace  of  Pope  Leo 
IX.,  who  was  a  Count  of  Egisheim  and  Dagsburg, 
and  it  was  formerly  well  worthy  of  such  a  son,  but 
the  noble  walls  were  reduced  to  ruins  in  quite  early 
times,  during  a  war  which  was  stirred  up  by  a  miller 
of  Miilhausen. 

The  two  beautiful  lakes  which  represent  the  artis- 
tic climax  of  the  Vosges  chain  are  best  visited  from 
Colmar ;  the  road  thither  passes  through  Kaiserberg. 
That  name  sounds  familiar  to  our  ears,  for  it  was 
given  to  the  town  by  the  great  preacher  John  Geiler, 
who  spent  his  youth  here.  The  present  importance 
of  the  town  does  not  depend  upon  learning,  or  any 
kind  of  curiosities  ;  but  in  that  charming  simplicity, 
that  picturesque  originality,  which  brings  it  pleas- 
antly before  the  eyes  of  strangers.  It  is  conscious 
of  an  active  Present  and  a  renowned  Past,  of  which 
we  are  reminded  on  all  sides  in  word  and  form  ;  on 
the  Town  Hall,  built  in  1604  ;  on  the  fountain,  on  the 
wall  even  round  the  church-yard,  and,  in  fact,  every- 
where we  find  mottoes,  in  the    form  of  old  rhymes, 


118  THE  RHINE. 

full  of  meaning.  Some  are  severe,  and  even  coarse  ; 
some  are  tender  and  poetic,  some  are  gay,  some  are 
sad,  according  to  the  occasion  and  circumstances  in 
which  they  were  first  used.  This  town  was  strong 
in  its  fidelity  to  the  Emperor,  to  whom  it  belonged, 
as  its  name  naturally  indicates  ;  and  in  the  Confedera- 
tion of  the  Ten  Cities  its  voice  was  heard,  and  its 
counsel  held  in  considerable  respect. 

The  road  now  goes  farther  into  the  green  depths 
of  the  Vosges ;  we  have  left  Orbey  behind  us,  and 
are  making  for  the  wooded  ridges  of  the  mountains, 
sometimes  following  a  narrow  path,  and  sometimes 
trampling  through  luxuriant  heather.  It  is  not  long, 
however,  before  the  landscape  begins  gradually  to 
grow  wilder,  gray  boulders  lie  scattered  about,  short 
scanty  Alpine  grass  covers  the  ground,  and  only  a 
few  weather-beaten  firs  are  visible  on  the  distant 
ridge.  We  hasten  once  more  through  the  solitude, 
and  suddenly  a  new  view  opens  before  us — the  waters 
lie  motionless  between  bare  white  rocks,  which  rise 
precipitously  to  a  considerable  height,  and  are  clearly 
reflected  in  the  lake  below.  This  is  the  White  Lake, 
and  it  is  a  remnant  of  that  icy  period  which  once 
covered  the  face  of  this  country. 

Its  deep  basin  is  only  parted  by  a  broad  solid  ridge 
of  rock  from  another  sheet  of  water  equally  deep  and 
motionless,  though  much  smaller.  It  is  not  surpris- 
ing that  the  character  of  the  two  lakes  should  be 
somewhat  similar,  though  at  one  time  this  was  not 


THE  VOSGES  COUNTRY.  119 

the  case,  for  the  banks  of  the  hist  we  liave  referred 
to  were  bordered  with  dark  primeval  iirs.  Then  the 
name  of  "  The  Black  Lake  "  was  appropriate  to  it. 
But  the  devastating  axe  has  penetrated  to  this  spot 
and  robbed  it  of  the  dark  Avood  covering,  so  that 
nothing  now  remains  but  the  inhospitable  rock.  Its 
declivity,  however,  towards  the  bank  is  less  steep 
than  that  of  the  White  Lake,  and  the  form  of  the 
mountains  is  less  grotesque. 

In  spite  of  this,  however,  w^e  still  feel  ourselves  in 
the  true  uncultivated  mountain  world,  and  only  at  the 
mouth  of  the  lake  Ave  are  Avillingly  reminded  of  the 
existence  of  restless  human  ingenuity  by  the  dam 
which  regulates  the  outflow  of  the  water.  In  this 
way  is  the  stream  made  of  service  to  the  manufac- 
tories in  the  valley  below.  They  entice  the  clear 
bright  water  to  their  noisy  workshops,  and  when  it 
would  run  cheerily  under  them  it  is  suddenly  seized 
upon  and  tortured  by  their  jagged  wheels. 

The  neat  little  toAvn  which  we  come  to  on  the 
road  from  Colmar  to  Schlettstadt  is  called  by  the 
Germans  Rappoltsweiler,  though  it  is  better  known 
by  its  French  name  of  Ribeauville.  It  is  one  of 
the  most  cheerful  little  cities  in  all  Alsace,  and 
it  was  here  that  the  old  Piper  kings  had  their 
day. 

The  Count  of  Rappoltstein  w^as  the  "  King  "  of  all 
the  musicians  and  minstrels  of  the  Upper  Rhine. 
They  recognized  him  as  the  head  of  the  brotherhood, 


120  THE  KHINE. 

and  paid  him  an  annual  tax  ;  in  return  for  which  he 
took  them  under  his  protection. 

Every  year,  on  the  8th  of  September,  these  wan- 
derers assembled  at  Rappoltstein  to  celebrate  a  joy- 
ous festival — and  to  settle  their  disputes.  When  the 
last  Count  of  Rappoltstein  died,  in  1673,  this  re- 
markable jurisdiction,  together  with  the  title,  "  King 
of  the  Pipers,"  was  conferred  upon  the  Counts-Pala- 
tine of  Birkenfeld,  who  were  in  the  service  of  France, 
and  it  was  held  by  them  until  the  French  Revolution. 
Even  now,  on  the  8th  of  September,  the  inhabitants 
of  Rappoltsweiler  celebrate  a  local  festival  in  memory 
of  the  old  times. 

The  thick  shady  trees  of  the  suburbs  have  now 
been  made  into  pleasure  gardens,  and  on  the  hills, 
which  are  overgrown  with  vines,  the  ruins  of  the 
castles  of  the  old  rulers  stand.  The  more  lawless  the 
period,  the  higher  the  bold  knights  placed  their 
dwellings,  and  it  was  only  as  men  became  more 
peaceable  and  opposition  less  decided,  that  they 
moved  slowly  down  into  the  villages  and  toAvns.  This 
fact  is  forcibly  illustrated  here.  The  highest  of  the 
three  castles  which  command  the  town  is  called  Rap- 
poltstein. It  was  built  in  the  fourteenth  century,  and 
is  considered  one  of  the  oldest  castles  in  Alsace ;  it 
was  the  ancestral  seat  of  a  renowned  race.  Later, 
however,  though  still  as  early  as  the  time  of  the 
Hohenstaufens,  the  second  castle  was  erected  loAver 
down   on  the   rocks.      This  in  its  turn  was  soon  fol- 


THE  VOSGES  COUNTRY.  121 

lowed  by  a  third,  in  the  style  of  the  Renaissance,  and 
named  after  St.  Uh'ich.  The  middle  ruin  is  called  Girs- 
berg,  and  was  held  by  a  family  of  the  same  name. 

As  we  follow  the  road  which  leads  from  Rappolts- 
weiler  to  Markirch  we  meet  with  another  venerable 
fortress  which  stands  on  a  gray  rock  in  one  of  the 
cross  valleys.  The  ruins  now  look  down  only  on  the 
quiet  country.  Once  when  the  high  bay  windows 
shone  in  the  sunlight,  there  stood  here  a  renowned 
old  abbey  of  the  name  of  Dusenbach,  and  three 
chapels  which  were  subject  to  it. 

Pilgrimages  were  made  to  this  shrine,  for  the  Holy 
Virgin,  to  whom  it  was  dedicated,  Avas  the  patroness 
of  the  musicians  Avho  frequented  the  roads  of  merry 
Alsace.  Now  all  is  silent,  and  the  little  stream,  the 
Dusenbach,  ripples  in  solitude  over  moss-groAvn 
stones,  and  without  the  echo  of  human  voices,  the 
boughs  of  the  old  trees  rustle,  which  at  one  time 
formed  the  green  arcade  up  to  the  cloister  door. 

We  would  willingly  stand  awhile  and  think  of 
those  who  formerly  wandered  here,  but  they  and 
their  retired  home  fade  from  our  minds  as  we  ap- 
proach the  great  masterpiece  which  noAv  looks  down 
on  us  from  the  lofty  summits.  That  is  Hohkonigs- 
berg,  the  noblest  stronghold  in  Alsace.  Nothing  is 
known  of  the  origin  of  the  castle,  but  as  early  as  1462 
it  was  partly  destroyed  by  the  Archduke  Sigismund 
and  the  Bishop  of  Strasburg.  It  was  again  burned 
by  the  Swedes  in  the  seventeenth  century. 


122  THE  EHINE. 

The  road  now  goes  steeply  upAvards,  passing  a  very 
picturesque  forester's  house,  until  we  see  before  us 
two  enormous  towers  and  the  reddish  walls  of  the 
fortress,  which  once  enclosed  many  a  comfortable 
chamber  and  many  a  noble  hall.  One  of  the  latter  is 
so  well  preserved  that  the  staircase,  which  in  olden 
times  led  up  to  the  watch-tower,  appears  to  be  still 
accessible,  and  our  footsteps  as  we  approach  re-echo 
under  the  great  "  Lion  Gate." 

How  many  bold  footsteps  have  sounded  here  be- 
fore folks  of  the  present  day  came  with  their  "  curi- 
ous eyes  " — how  many  lordly  races  have  here  meted 
out  rigid  government  and  cheerful  hospitality  !  The 
Lords  of  Rathsamhausen  and  the  Counts  of  Dittin- 
gen,  the  Sickingens  and  the  Fuggers,  have  all  at 
different  times  called  this  fortress  their  own.  Many 
a  merry  feast  has  the  Bishop  of  Strasburg  held  within 
its  walls,  and  many  a  higliAvayman  has  waited  here 
on  a  dark  day,  ready  to  fall  suddenly  upon  the  cara- 
vans of  merchants  on  their  Avay  to  Basle. 

But  good  and  bad,  conqueror  and  conquered,  have 
all  long  since  gone  to  their  rest,  and  young  sapHngs 
of  fir  and  larch  grow  unmolested  in  the  dilapidated 
court-yard.  The  commune  of  Schlettstadt  now  pos- 
sesses the  venerable  ruin,  and  is  responsible  for  its 
care.  It  fulfils  its  trust  with  commendable  fidelity, 
for  Hohkonigsberg  is  its  pride  and  its  jewel. 

The  impression  Avhich  Schlettstadt  itself  makes  on 
the  traveller  is  much  the  same  as  that  of  Colmar ;  the 


THE  VOSGES  COUNTRY.  123 

environs  are  flat,  the  streets  are  empty,  and  land  ap- 
pears to  be  valueless  and  consequently  unused.  In- 
voluntarily we  feel  the  oppression  which  seems  to  be 
an  essential  part  of  all  fortified  towns,  and  hinders 
the  development  of  unrestrained  prosperity. 

If  we  approach  the  town  from  the  side  near  the 
railway,  we  see  scarcely  anything  except  a  few  bare 
towers  wdiich  rise  above  the  roofs,  and  it  is  not  until 
we  enter  the  interior  of  the  town  that  this  confused 
mass  of  houses  resolves  itself  into  its  parts  and  we 
see  many  charming  details.  There  is  the  venerable 
Cathedral  of  St.  George,  founded  in  the  fourteenth 
century.  It  is  one  of  the  finest  specimens  of  Gothic 
architecture  in  Alsace,  with  its  clock-tower  standing 
up  conspicuously  among  the  pile  of  masonry.  On 
some  of  the  houses  are  brown  wooden  balconies 
shaded  by  high  roofs,  but  the  character  of  the  whole 
place  nowhere  rises  above  quiet  mediocrity. 

During  our  tour  of  the  town  we  will  pay  a  visit  to 
the  principal  hotels  of  the  place.  The  two  most  im- 
portant which  Schlettstadt  formerly  possessed  were 
the  Goat  and  the  Eagle.  These  two  have  now,  hoAV- 
ever,  combined  (a  sad  mesalliance,  by-the-bye,  for  the 
Eagle),  and  though  the  present  hostelry  is  but  of 
moderate  pretensions,  a  traveller  may  make  himself 
very  comfortable  under  its  shelter.  Schlettstadt  has 
in  its  time  entertained  many  distinguished  guests 
within  its  walls;  as  early  as  the  year  775  Charlemagne 
celebrated    the    feast   of  Cliristmas   here  ;  and,   like 


124  THE  EHINE. 

Colmar,  it  was  one  of  the  most  faithful  cities  of  the 
empire  at  the  time  Avhen  France  took  possession  of 
it.  Its  fidelity  was  proved  by  many  serious  sacrificeSj 
for  the  town,  which  had  become  attached  to  the  Em- 
peror in  1216,  was  repeatedly  besieged  by  the  Bishop 
of  Strasburg.  His  mercenaries,  under  the  Hohen- 
staufen,  Frederick  II.,  and  under  Louis  of  Bavaria, 
stormed  its  walls,  in  order  to  chastise  the  citizens  for 
defending  their  town  against  Rome  for  the  Emperor. 

Schlettstadt  held  an  important  position  in  the 
Union  which  was  formed  by  the  ten  cities  of  Alsace, 
and  its  alliance  M^as  always  sought  and  its  enmity  was 
much  dreaded  by  each  of  the  contending  parties. 
Sometimes,  indeed,  the  shadows  of  lawless  deeds 
overclouded  its  history.  The  citizens  took  part  in 
the  atrocious  cruelties  of  the  Jewish  persecution  in 
the  sixteenth  century,  and  they  also  were  active  in 
those  disturbances  which  were  the  prelude  to  the 
Great  Peasant  League.  It  was,  indeed,  one  of  the 
former  burgomasters  of  Schlettstadt  who  marched  at 
the  head  of  the  wild  mob  which,  under  the  banner 
of  the  Bundschuh,  declared  war  on  ''  knight  and 
priest,"  in  order  to  win  freedom  for  the  peasantry. 
This  righteous  object,  which  was  to  be  peaceably  ob- 
tained a  century  later,  was  then  sought  with  dread- 
ful cruelty,  and  the  effect  was  accordingly  unsuccess- 
ful, the  last  decisive  struggle  taking  place  almost 
under  the  very  walls  of  Schlettstadt. 

The  real  influence  of  the  town,  however,  and  that 


THE  VOSGES  COUNTRY.  125 

which  spread  far  beyond  the  Hmits  of  the  Empire, 
did  not  lie  in  force  of  warhke  arms,  but  in  the  intel- 
lectual qualities  which  were  cultivated  here.  Schlett- 
stadt  possessed  a  college  as  early  as  the  fifteenth 
century,  in  which  teachers  of  European  renown 
labored,  and  to  Avhich  scholars  flocked  from  all  the 
countries  of  Europe.  Their  number  often  amounted 
to  many  hundreds,  and  it  was  at  this  time  that  the 
splendid  library,  which  the  town  still  possesses,  was 
founded.  This  is  unfortunately  about  the  only  relic 
which  learning  has  left. 

As  the  twilight  begins  to  fall  we  take  a  last  quiet 
walk  through  the  streets.  Behind  the  Minster  a  lively 
scene  presents  itself  before  us ;  numbers  of  noisy 
boys  perched  up  in  an  empty  wagon,  and  an  audi- 
ence of  little  girls,  sitting  on  the  stone  steps  of  the 
houses,  are  singing  snatches  of  "  Madame  Angot," 
and  one  of  them,  with  queer  harlequin  jumps,  shouts 
the  hackneyed  couplet : 

' '  Vaut  pas  la  peine,  vaut  pas  la  peine, 
De  changer  le  gouvernement." 

Thoughtless  childhood  should  not  be  deprived  of  any 
harmless  pleasure  ;  but  when  these  boys  have  grown 
to  be  men,  and  the  little  girls  have  become  their 
wives,  they  will  of  themselves  think  of  other  things, 
and  possibly  they  may  have  other  opinions  on  the 
subject  of  the  change  of  government. 


126  THE  RHINE. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

STEASBURG. 

Whoever  would  know  a  man  thoroughly,  should 
see  him  under  a  variety  of  circumstances  :  in  the  sun- 
shine of  good  fortune,  when  happiness  unfolds  and 
elevates  his  nature,  and  in  the  depth  of  distress,  when 
the  power  of  necessity  lays  bare  his  weakness.  What 
applies  to  individuals  applies  also  to  collective  bodies 
of  men,  that  is,  to  great  towns,  and  their  true  nature 
is  alone  revealed  by  the  study  of  that  mirror  of  end- 
less vicissitudes  which  we  call  History. 

Three  times  has  the  writer  of  these  pages  seen 
Strasburg,  the  ''  fair,"  the  celebrated  in  song,  and 
each  time  under  totally  different  circumstances,  vary- 
ing from  the  highest  glory  to  that  of  the  deepest 
misery. 

The  first  time  was  nearly  thirty  years  ago,  when 
she  stood  in  the  brilliant  train  of  Paris,  her  queen. 
Paris  stood  at  that  time  among  the  Cities  of  the 
Earth,  fatally  beautiful,  like  Cleopatra,  fascinating  all 
the  world.  She  had  summoned  the  Caisars  of  Europe 
to  her  court,  for  the  Great  Exhibition  of  1867  was 
opened.  All  the  provincial  towns  surrounded  their 
mistress  with  homage,  as  noble  ladies  surround  a 
queen,  and  in  their  circle  stood  Strasburg. 


STRASBURG.  1 27 

What  a  different  picture  was  presented  on  the  sec- 
ond visit !  War  lay  on  the  land,  and  on  all  sides  men 
were  struggling  for  victory.  Nightly  the  sky  was 
red  with  fire,  and  the  day  was  darkened  with  smoke, 
in  the  midst  of  which  the  sacred  Minster  reared  its 
head.  Deserted  by  France,  cut  off  from  Paris,  Stras- 
burg  lay  behind  her  walls  on  the  Rhine  and  mourned. 
Gradually,  piece  by  piece,  almost  inch  by  inch,  her 
walls  were  worn  away  by  shot  and  shell ;  all  the 
agonies  of  hunger  and  thirst  were  borne  by  the  in- 
habitants ;  she  was  unable  to  save  herself,  but  she 
woidd  not  capitulate.  But  from  the  camp  yonder 
the  conquerors  sang  a  song  of  welcome  to  her : 

"  You  stand  in  the  garb  of  sorrow, 
Unhonored  and  full  of  grief, 
But  your  old  love  will  come  to-morrow, 
And  his  good  sword  shall  bring  relief." 

It  was  the  end  of  September ;  the  bombardment, 
which  had  ceased  for  a  few  hours,  began  afresh,  for 
evening  was  not  far  distant.  When  it  had  become 
quite  dark  we  took  a  carriage  and  drove  out  to  the 
batteries.  The  night  was  cold,  and  the  loose  stones 
of  the  viptorn  streets  rattled  under  the  horses'  hoofs. 
Every  now  and  then  the  animals  reared  and  plunged 
when  a  more  than  usually  loud  volley  thundered 
forth.  We  passed  through  one  or  two  little  villages 
where  the  people  stood  and  peered  out  of  their  gar- 
ret windows.     As  we  drove  between  field  and  forest 


128  THE  RHINE. 

single  dark  figures  occasionally  passed  us  on  the  road, 
and  all  the  while  the  lurid  reflection  on  the  other  side 
of  the  Rhine  grcAV  brighter  and  clearer.  There  was 
fire  in  Strasburg — Strasburg  was  the  torch  that  lighted 
us  on  our  dark  road.  Presently  the  driver  refused  to 
proceed,  and  Ave  descended  and  followed  on  foot  a  path 
across  the  fields  until  a  broad  building  barred  the  way. 
This  was  a  brick  kiln  with  extensive  out-buildings, 
and  from  the  spot  wdiere  we  were  standing  to  the 
town  was  hardly  more  than  half  a  mile  in  a  straight 
line. 

What  an  awful  sensation  Ave  experienced  as  we 
stood  there  in  the  midst  of  tMs  Avild  destruction ! 
All  day  the  firing  had  been  violent,  now  it  raged. 
Not  only  the  poAver  but  the  fury  of  the  enemy  blazed 
out  in  every  shot,  and  the  thundering  sounds  seemed 
to  be  Avild  imprecations  uttered  by  the  wdiole  force  of 
the  passion  which  had  been  let  loose  by  War  !  We 
stood,  watch  in  hand,  counting  the  shots  as  they  fell. 
They  were  like  fearful  pulse-beats,  and  as  the  fever 
of  a  sick  man  increases  towards  evening,  so  did  this 
firing  become  wilder  as  the  night  dragged  on.  One 
shell  after  another  rattled  against  the  fortress,  fol- 
lowed almost  without  an  interval  by  answers  dashing 
against  the  German  batteries  ;  their  course  could  be 
traced  through  the  air — though  it  Avas  a  mile  long, 
they  travelled  it  in  a  few  seconds.  Afar  off  was 
heard  their  angry  hiss  under  the  silent  canopy  of 
heaven. 


Cit)?  (5ate,  StrasbucG. 


STRASBURG.  129 

Such  is  the  picture  that  we  gazed  on  then,  at  that 
anxious  time,  wliich  is  still  associated  in  our  memory 
with  the  name  of  Strasburg.  But  how  completely  it 
has  changed  now ! 

Four  years  elapsed,  and  the  days  of  affliction  liad 
passed  away  on  the  occasion  of  the  third  visit  to  the 
old  town  on  the  Rhine,  to  the  German  Strasburg. 
Traces  of  many  wounds,  it  is  true,  were  still  visible, 
and  many  shadows  passed  over  the  lofty  brow  at  the 
recollection  of  bitter  sorrows,  but,  on  the  whole,  there 
was  a  feeling  of  calm  reconciliation  and  of  new  and 
joyous  power  in  the  heart  of  the  tO"\\ai. 

Wliat  a  load  has  fallen  from  our  hearts  as  we  walk 
through  the  Strasburg  of  to-day  !  We  look  upon  a 
resurrection  ;  the  rapid  foot  of  Time,  which  we  so 
often  deplore,  has  here  exercised  its  power  of  healing 
and  of  blessing,  for  incredible  things  have  been  done 
in  these  last  years. 

The  very  first  impression  of  the  streets,  which  so 
frequently  has  a  lasting  effect  on  one's  mind,  is  ex- 
tremely pleasant.  In  one  place,  we  are  struck  by 
the  grandeur  of  the  buildings ;  in  another,  by  their 
homelike  comfort.  Thvis  we  remain  equally  free 
from  the  oppressive  effect  of  a  great  city  and  the 
confined  feeling  of  a  small  provincial  town.  It  is, 
indeed,  just  this  which  gives  that  peculiar  charm  to 
a  sojourn  in  Strasburg. 

It  is  a  town  in  which  a  stranger  does  not  long  feel 
strange.  This  is  specially  the  case  with  visitors  coming 
Vol.  I.— 9 


130  THE  EHINE. 

from  the  other  side  of  the  Rhine  ;  for,  in  spite  of  all  the 
opposition  which  stirs  the  heart  of  Alsace,  the  Ger- 
man nature  of  the  place  cannot  be  denied.  Recol- 
lections which  the  last  two  centuries  have  not  washed 
away  are  still  extant ;  whenever  we  have  relations 
with  the  people  themselves  we  meet  with  German 
manners.  In  the  new  intellectual  circle,  too,  which 
has  been  brought  into  Strasburg  by  the  government, 
and  more  particularly  by  the  establishment  of  the 
University,  the  German  guest  is  received  so  kindly 
that  he  feels  himself  at  home  in  the  best  sense  of  the 
word. 

The  University  was  founded  in  1621 — and  many 
celebrated  students  were  gathered  within  its  walls. 
Goethe  was  graduated  here  as  Doctor  of  Laws  in 
1771.  In  1794  it  was  suppressed  by  the  National 
Convention,  and  in  1803  it  was  turned  into  a  French 
Academy  ;  this  lasted  until  the  Franco-Prussian  war. 
In  1872  it  was  reopened  as  a  University,  and  now 
has  many  students. 

We  will  therefore  go  on  our  way,  disturbed  by 
scarcely  another  discord,  and  wander  at  our  leisure 
through  the  beautiful  town  and  examine  its  treasures 
and  curiosities. 

The  noblest  of  these  treasures,  the  pride  and  won- 
der of  Strasburg,  is  its  Cathedral :  a  building  whose 
dumb  stones  are  more  eloquent  than  language.  At 
first  the  bulk  of  the  huge  masses  almost  overpowers 
the  eye ;   but   into   what   grace   and   delicacy   these 


STRASBURG.  131 

masses  are  developed  !  how  light  the  ponderous  stone 
becomes  in  the  combinations  and  harmony  of  the 
whole  !  What  gigantic  power  the  spiritual  has  here 
won  over  the  material !  As  we  stand  before  the 
Cathedral  we  cannot  help  thinking  of  it  in  connec- 
tion with  that  period  out  of  which  it  grew.  What 
must  have  been  the  blossom  of  an  epoch  which  could 
bear  such  fruit !  what  the  consciousness  of  power  of 
a  town  that  could  rear  such  a  temple  for  its  faith  ! 

The  early  history  of  the  great  building  dates  many 
centuries  back,  and  is,  consequently,  somewhat  con- 
fused. The  present  structure  represents  the  labor 
of  nearly  five  hundred  years.  The  first  beginnings 
of  a  Christian  church  in  Strasburg  were  made  in 
Chlodwig's  time,  but  they  and  all  the  decorations 
that  had  been  added  by  the  Carlovingians  became  a 
prey  to  the  flames  and  were  entirely  destroyed. 
Bishop  Werner  accordingly  had  to  commence  a  com- 
pletely new  work  when  he  laid  the  foundation  of  the 
present  Cathedral  in  1015.  He  himself  was  of  the 
noble  house  of  the  Counts  of  Hapsburg,  but  the 
names  of  those  whose  hands  embodied  his  thoughts 
and  designs  have  been  lost  in  the  great  gidf  of 
Time. 

It  is  only  in  the  third  century  after  its  foundation 
that  Ave  meet  with  the  name  of  that  master  whose 
memory  is  now  inseparably  connected  with  the  Cathe- 
dral of  Strasburg,  namely,  Erwin  von  Steinbach. 
Whose   heart  does  not  leap  at  the   thought  of  the 


132  THE  KHINE. 

glory  that  surrounds  that  name  !  The  stately  build- 
ing rose  before  his  enlightened  spirit  and  under  his 
creating  hand,  as  the  rich  branches  of  a  tree  grow 
in  the  light  of  the  sun ;  it  became  not  only  his  tomb, 
but  also  his  imperishable  monument. 

The  fagade  is  covered  Avith  delicate  tracery  and 
numerous  scidptures.  The  three  portals,  represent- 
ing scenes  from  the  Creation  and  the  Redemption, 
are  among  the  finest  specimens  of  Gothic  work  in 
existence.  The  niches  in  the  lower  story  contain 
equestrian  statues  of  the  Emperors  Clovis  and  Dago- 
bert,  Rudolf  of  Hapsburg  and  Louis  XIII.  (this  last 
erected  in  1823).  During  the  Revolution  many  of 
these  statuettes  were  thrown  down,  and  the  spire  of 
the  Cathedral  escaped  a  like  fate  only  because  it  Avas 
protected  by  a  red  republican  cap  made  of  metal, 
which  served  as  a  protecting  badge ! 

As  is  well  known,  one  only  of  the  two  towers  has 
been  built,  up  which  a  winding  staircase  has  been 
placed.  The  site  which  the  other  tower  should  have 
occupied  runs  out  into  a  platform,  and  has  been  made 
to  serve  the  watchmen  for  a  dwelling.  More  than 
fifty  times  has  the  building  been  threatened  to  be  de- 
stroyed by  lightning.  Once  it  seemed  doomed  to  de- 
struction by  a  terrible  earthquake ;  and,  lastly,  the 
roaring  waves  of  the  Revolution,  with  the  shot  and 
shell  which  have  whistled  past  it,  rendered  its  fate 
almost  certain ;  but  stiU  the  old  sanctuary  stands  firm 
and  unmoved,  indifferent  alike  to  the  storms  of  ages 


STRASBUKG.  133 

and  to  human  passion,  both  of  which  have  fallen 
powerless  before  its  silent  majesty. 

As  the  view  from  the  Cathedral  tower  extends  for 
many  miles,  so  do  the  memories  of  this  place  reach 
back  for  hundreds  of  years,  and  include  many  races 
and  innumerable  individuals  whose  names  are  famous. 
The  Minster  tower  is  like  a  stone  book  in  which  visit- 
ors from  all  parts  of  the  world  have  carved  their 
names — princes,  beggars,  nobles,  and  many  others 
are  included  among  the  number ;  and  even  Voltaire, 
Herder,  Montalembert,  Goethe,  Baumann,  Meier, 
Schulze  have  gazed  upon  this  scene. 

Not  only  is  paper  patient,  as  the  German  proverb 
says,  but  stone  is  so  also,  and  the  swallows,  quite  un- 
concerned as  to  who  gives  them  shelter,  settle  first 
on  one  pillar  and  then  on  another,  and  do  not  ask  in 
whose  memory  their  twittering  song  is  raised. 

Everywhere  we  turn,  whether  we  go  outside  the 
city  gates  or  lose  ourselves  in  the  confusion  of  the 
streets,  we  see  the  Cathedral  towering  above  all ;  its 
spire  rises  to  a  dizzy  height  above  the  roofs,  and  the 
appearance  of  every  open  space  is  affected  by  it. 
There  is  a  curious  legend  concerning  the  laying  of 
the  corner-stone  of  the  Cathedral  of  Strasburg. 
Bishop  Werner,  in  full  pontifical  array,  had  just 
blessed  the  stone  and  given  the  signal  to  have  it  low- 
ered into  place  wdien  two  men,  brothers,  Avho  stood  in 
the  front  row  of  spectators,  accidentally  jostled  one 
another.     The  elder,  furious  at  what  he  considered 


134  THE  RHINE. 

an  intentional  rudeness,  turned  on  his  brother  and 
stabbed  him  to  the  heart,  the  blood  splashing  the 
bishop  and  dripping  down  on  to  the  corner-stone, 
which  had  been  put  in  place. 

The  murderer  was  seized  and  led  away  to  be  put 
to  death ;  but  as  he  passed  the  bishop  he  fell  on  his 
knees,  exclaiming :  "  My  lord,  my  lord,  I  deserve 
death — I  know  it — I  have  slain  my  brother,  who  was 
innocent ;  only  let  not  my  death  be  in  vain  !  Under 
the  stone  which  you  have  just  lowered  there  flows  a 
spring  of  water  which  will,  in  time,  undermine  the 
foundations  of  the  Cathedral.  Now,  if  you  will  bury 
me — a  murderer — under  the  stone,  the  spring  of 
pure  water,  rather  than  come  in  contact  with  my  pol- 
luted bones,  will  shrink  away  from  me  and  work  its 
way  to  the  surface  elsewhere,  and  thus  will  I  protect 
this  holy  place  and  help  it  to  endure  through  the 
ages." 

The  murderer's  request  was  granted,  the  stone 
raised  again,  and  he,  stepping  down,  gave  the  signal 
for  it  to  be  let  down.  Thus,  the  stone  lowered  upon 
a  living  man,  forms  the  foundation  of  the  tower,  and 
popular  superstition  avers  that  the  murderer's  bones 
have  had  the  desired  effect  of  keeping  the  foundation 
firm. 

Strasburg  is  rich  in  squares,  which  are  frequently 
adorned  in  the  centre  with  a  handsome  monument. 
One  of  these — the  Kleber-Platz — is  adorned  with  a 
bronze  statue  of  General  Kleber,  who  was  born  in 


STRASBURG.  135 

Strasburg,  and  murdered  in  Egypt  in  1800.  The 
buildings  which  surround  these  open  spaces  have  a 
lofty,  spacious  appearance,  and  when  this  is  not  the 
case  they  are  distinguished  at  least  by  their  age  or 
their  artistic  value.  It  is  this  that  gives  its  original 
character  to  the  Pig-Market,  which  certainly  is  not  in 
a  select  quarter  of  the  town  ;  and  it  is  this  also  that 
makes  the  Cathedral  Square  itself  so  charming.  In 
the  latter  stands  the  so-called  "  Old  House,"  with  its 
high  gables  and  broAvn  beams  ;  it  is  a  building  of  the 
thirteenth  century,  and  forms  as  picturesque  a  corner 
as  it  is  possible  for  a  town  to  possess. 

The  street  through  Avhich  we  now  proceed  leads  to 
the  Gutenbergplatz.  In  the  midst  of  the  hubbub  of 
the  market  there  stands,  surrounded  by  green  trees, 
a  pedestal,  and  on  it  rests  a  bronze  figure  of  a  man 
with  flowing  beard  and  lofty  brow,  holding  in  his 
hand  a  sheet  covered  with  ornamental  letters.  One 
sheet  ?  oh,  it  is  far  more — it  is  the  symbol  of  the 
art  of  printing,  the  greatest  gift  which  man  ever 
gave  to  the  human  race ;  it  is  the  testimony  of 
the  victory  of  light  over  darkness  which  he  holds  in 
his  hand. 

It  was  in  Strasburg  that  John  Gutenberg  invented 
the  art  of  printing.  He  dwelt  here  for  nearly  twenty 
years  as  a  citizen  of  Strasburg,  and  whatever  may 
have  been  done  elsewhere,  it  was  within  his  own  room 
that  the  idea  of  this  great  discovery  had  birth.  The 
Gutenbergplatz  stands,  as  it  were,  as  a  symbol  of  the 


136  THE  EHINE. 

intellectual  power  which  the  middle  ages  possessed  in 
their  great  free  cities. 

As  the  former  German  period  of  Strasburg  history 
has  eminently  a  burgess  character,  so  during  the 
French  epoch  did  the  military  element  gain  the 
ascendancy,  as  well  as  that  pretentious,  intriguing 
policy  which  had  its  school  on  the  polished  floors  of 
Versailles.  After  this  came  the  omnipotence  of  the 
first  Bonaparte ;  and  all  these  different  periods  are, 
more  or  less,  embodied  in  the  outward  appearance  of 
Strasburg.  Even  the  names  of  places  lift  us  into  the 
French  world  as  we  step  across  the  Broglieplatz,  or 
the  Paradeplatz,  where  General  Kleber's  monument 
stands. 

The  Broglieplatz  (or  Brohl,  as  it  is  familiary  called 
by  the  townspeople)  is  without  doubt  the  handsomest 
and  most  frequented  of  all  the  squares.  Here  is  the 
fine  residence  of  the  mayor ;  the  great  cafes  under 
the  trees  are  in  the  French  style,  and,  in  fact,  there 
is  everything  required  by  the  fashionable  world. 
Totally  different,  indeed,  from  these  parts  of  the  town 
arc  those  old  confined  districts  where  the  artificers 
work  and  the  poorer  classes  dwell ;  there  the  odd 
corners  of  the  old  free  town  have  been  preserved 
with  all  the  original  peculiarities  which  the  architects 
of  that  time  possessed. 

Many  such  houses  may  be  seen  on  the  111  Canal, 
and  the  whole  tanners'  quarter  near  which  the  old 
"  Vine  "  stands  presents  that  picturesque  mixture  of 


STRASBURG.  137 

styles  which  only  an  old  town  can  offer ;  the  eye,  in- 
deed, loses  itself  in  rich  architectural  details  of  gables 
and  Avindows,  balconies  and  bays.  Doors  with  beauti- 
ful iron-work  and  broad  steps  carved  in  massive  oak 
are  frequently  found  in  plain,  simple  houses ;  and 
even  in  the  narrowest  streets  magnificent  houses  are 
unexpectedly  met  with.  These  are  all  relics  of  the 
old  free-town  period,  and  they  give  to  the  place  the 
same  kind  of  quaintness  that  we  meet  with  in  Augs- 
burg or  Nuremberg. 

Thus  the  architecture  of  the  town  possesses  a 
threefold  element :  palaces  in  the  style  of  the  Renais- 
sance and  the  Rococo  period ;  dwellings  built  during 
the  old  prosperity  of  the  imperial  town ;  and,  lastly, 
that  mass  of  modern  buildings  of  no  particular  style 
which  sprang,  as  it  were,  out  of  the  earth  as  a  com- 
pensation for  those  destroyed  in  1870.  In  a  Avord, 
everywhere  the  Old  is  contrasted  with  the  New — the 
Past  with  the  Future — and  everything  struggles, 
either  consciously  or  unconsciously,  towards  the 
assimilation  of  these  two  opposite  elements. 


138  THE  RHINE. 


CHAPTER    X. 

THE    CONVENT    OF    ST.    ODILLE. 

On  leaving  Strasburg  and  driving  towards  Barr  we 
come  upon  a  large  mountain  covered  with  dark  wood, 
and  the  white  building  which  we  see  near  the  old 
ruins  of  the  Heathen  Walls  is  the  Convent  of  St. 
Odille.  The  road  leading  up  to  it  is  remarkably 
beautiful  and  varied  in  its  scenery. 

We  first  come  upon  the  little  village  of  Ottrott, 
with  its  long  row  of  houses,  where  we  rest  before 
ascending  further ;  as  we  go  a  lad  clad  in  a  blue 
blouse  passes  along  the  street  beating  a  drum,  and 
announcing  that  on  the  following  day  there  will  be  a 
sale  by  auction.  Heads  appear  at  every  window,  and 
in  the  village  inn  for  the  next  few  hours,  nothing  but 
the  sale  is  spoken  of. 

Almost  immediately  behind  the  village  we  plunge 
again  into  the  forest,  and  lest  we  should  lose  our  way 
we  take  one  of  the  merry  boys  who  are  playing  in 
the  street  for  our  guide.  For  a  fcAv  minutes,  before 
we  enter  into  the  depths  of  the  wood,  our  way  lies 
through  a  cornfield.  On  passing  this,  a  narrow  path 
takes  us  upwards,  and  the  green  boughs  rustle  above 
our   heads.     Here    and  there   among  the  luxuriant 


THE  CONVENT  OF  ST.  ODILLE.  139 

brambles  stands  a  half-decayed  monument  raised  to 
some  one  who  has  met  with  an  accident  in  his  work ; 
now  and  again,  a  weary  woman  with  a  great  bundle 
on  her  shoulder  meets  us,  and  passes  us  with  a  pious 
greeting,  but  otherwise  no  sound  is  to  be  heard  ex- 
cept the  tapping  of  the  crossbill  in  the  thicket.  The 
world  around  us  seems  lost  in  solitary  beauty. 

All  at  once  we  come  to  an  opening,  and  through 
the  trees  we  see  the  convent  looking  down  on  us.  It 
lies  opposite  and  quite  close  to  us,  but  the  road  takes 
a  circuitous  route  over  the  top  of  the  ridge.  We 
then  reach  the  first  remains  of  the  Heathen  Walls, 
which  have  come  down  to  us  like  an  heirloom  of  cen- 
turies. The  thick  clambering  ivy  spreads  itself  over 
the  huge  stones,  as  if  to  veil  the  gray  sanctuary  from 
our  curiosity.  But  the  present  generation  has  a  keen 
eye,  and  with  its  restless  spirit  of  inquiry  has  pene- 
trated here  in  order  to  unveil  the  mystery  which  sur- 
rounds this  wonderful  building.  All  is  not  yet  known, 
it  is  true,  but  we  have  got  far  beyond  the  domain  of 
mere  conjecture. 

It  was  at  first  supposed  that  these  huge  walls,  which 
extend  for  about  fifteen  miles,  were  of  Celtic  origin, 
and  that  their  purpose  was  to  divide  the  sacred  dwell- 
ing of  the  gods  from  the  dwellings  of  the  human  race. 
Who  has  not  read  of  the  sad  blood-stained  worship 
which  was  performed  in  the  obscure  solitude  of  the 
woods  ?  The  altars  were  high  as  mountains,  the  sac- 
rificial victim  was  slaughtered  on  a  block  of  stone, 


140  THE  EHINE. 

and  there  the  festivals  were  celebrated  with  wild 
splendor. 

Such  was  the  first  idea  which  the  sight  of  these 
walled  heights  raised  in  the  minds  of  archaeologists. 
They  have,  hoAvever,  since  descended  from  the  world 
of  deities  to  the  human  race,  and  found  that  men 
built  this  fortress  for  their  own  protection  and  defence. 
These  walled  enclosures  occur  more  than  once  on  the 
heights  of  the  Vosges,  and  whole  races  took  refuge 
within  their  spacious  circumference  when  an  enemy 
overran  the  land.  This  opinion  gave  rise  to  another, 
namely,  that  the  builders  were  the  Romans.  They 
undoubtedly  ruled  the  races  which  these  walls  availed 
to  shelter,  and,  taking  this  view,  it  is  probable  that  the 
origin  of  the  whole  immense  work,  including  the  cas- 
tle which  was  joined  to  it,  dates  from  the  third  or 
fourth  century.  It  seems  likely,  indeed,  that  it  may 
be  put  down  to  the  time  of  the  Emperor  Valentinian, 
who  is  known  to  have  fortified  the  entire  course  of 
the  Rhine  as  far  as  Holland. 

In  making  a  circuit  of  the  walls,  which  are  several 
miles  in  extent,  the  method  of  building  can  plainly  be 
seen.  Oaken  stakes  have  been  used  to  join  the  stones 
firmly  to  each  other,  but  what  most  attracts  the  eye 
and  gives  an  appearance  of  originality  to  the  whole 
mass  is  the  expert  way  in  which  the  wall  is  worked 
into  the  rocks,  and  which,  as  it  were,  indicate  the 
foundation  of  the  building. 

We  mount  higher  and  higher  out  of  the  forest  into 


THE  CONVENT  OF  ST.  ODILLE.  141 

the  open  country,  between  flat-worn  stones  where  the 
heath  grows  luxuriantly.  We  pass  another  green 
meadow,  when  once  more  the  trees  form  an  arched 
roof  above  us,  and  we  proceed  until  we  stop  on  the 
threshold  of  the  venerable  Convent  of  St.  Odille. 

St.  Odille  Avas  the  patron  saint  of  Alsace.  Tradition 
says  that  she  was  the  daughter  of  Eticho,  Duke  of 
Alsace,  who  ruled  in  the  seventh  century.  She  was 
born  blind,  but  gained  her  sight  by  being  baptized. 
She  founded  this  nunnery,  and  died  here  in  the  odor 
of  sanctity. 

What  joy  and  what  misery  has  this  roof  covered 
during  the  course  of  centuries !  It  has  stood  on  its 
lofty  rock  not  only  as  a  Avatch-tower  looking  doAvn  on 
the  country  at  its  feet,  but  it  may  also  be  said  to  have 
been  as  an  instrument  to  register  the  course  of  time. 
Barbarossa  Avas  once  a  guest  here ;  and  it  was  here 
that  the  Abbess  Herrad  composed  her  religious  Avork, 
"  The  Garden  of  Delight."  These  old  walls,  it  is 
true,  have  been  more  than  once  reduced  to  ruins,  but 
they  have  ahvays  risen  again  out  of  the  Avreck,  and 
are  still  the  fa\^orite  resort,  not  only  of  the  pious,  but 
of  everyone  for  Avhom  the  beauty  of  Nature  and  the 
charm  of  ancient  association  have  any  attraction.  All 
visitors  are  made  equally  Avelcome,  and  enjoy  a  kindly 
hospitality  which  they  must  always  remember  Avith 
gratitude. 

As  we  pass  through  the  convent  yard  Avith  its  old 
lime-trees,  Ave  see  the  lady  superior  standing  in  the 


142  THE  RHINE. 

doorway.  Everyone,  both  old  and  young,  visitors  as 
well  as  the  inmates  of  the  house,  call  her  "Mother;" 
and,  indeed,  she  is  worthy  of  that  expressive  and 
beautiful  name — always  thoughtful  for  others,  always 
gentle,  so  that  the  very  place  itself  over  which  she 
rules  seems  to  be  influenced  by  the  kindliness  of  her 
nature. 

Fresh  nosegays  of  wild  flowers  are  in  the  simple 
dining-room,  and,  indeed,  every  corner ;  even  the 
passages  and  the  little  garden  on  the  narrow  slope 
where  the  rock  declines  into  the  valley  is  carefidly 
tended.  The  children  belong  to  the  families  who  are 
spending  the  fine  weather  here,  and  they  romp  about 
without  restraint  in  the  spacious  halls.  Inside  we 
see  two  visitors  playing  chess,  for  people  come  and 
go  as  they  will,  and  always  find  a  kindly  wel- 
come. 

On  the  occasion  of  our  last  visit  it  was  astonishing 
to  find  how  great  the  preponderance  of  the  German, 
and  especially  the  North  German,  element  was  among 
the  guests.  There  were,  however,  French  visitors 
also.  Once  the  door  flew  suddenly  open  and  a  swarm 
of  twenty  heads  appeared  in  the  opening.  "  Bonjour, 
ma  soeur ;  nous  avons  faim,  nous  avons  soif,  nous 
sommes  enormement  fatigues  !"  We  were  all  some- 
what astonished  at  this  theatrical  manner  of  asking 
for  supper  and  lodging,  but  the  good  "  Mother  "  only 
smiled  softly,  and  in  an  hour  all  Avere  noiselessly  pro- 
vided for. 


THE  CONVENT  OF  ST.  ODILLE.  143 

The  most  precious  relic  on  Mount  Odille  is  the 
chapel,  which  bears  the  name  of  the  illustrious  pa- 
troness of  the  convent,  and  several  hundred  feet  lower 
is  the  spring  of  sacred  water  which  is  said  to  be  a 
cure  for  blindness.  The  little  chapel,  though  it  is 
more  homely  than  sublime,  must  yet  raise  some  feel- 
ing of  reverence  even  in  the  mind  of  him  who  knows 
little  of  that  form  of  devotion  which,  centuries  ago, 
gave  rise  to  such  places  of  worship.  Here  are  no 
lofty  stalls  whence  the  thunder  of  an  inspired  dis- 
course carries  away  the  hearts  of  thousands  of  hearers. 
It  is  more  like  a  private  chamber  for  the  soul,  where 
the  heart  is  silently  overwhelmed  with  the  knowledge 
of  itself,  and  can  gaze  into  Heaven  undisturbed  by 
the  presence  of  others.  We  pray  here  free  from  that 
grandeur  which  makes  us  at  times  half-timid  and  re- 
luctant to  approach  the  shrine  of  modern  ecclesiasti- 
cal structures.  It  is  a  church  eminently  fitted  for 
women,  whose  piety  depends  less  on  sense  than  on  the 
instinct  of  divine  feeling. 

What  different  influences  surround  us  when  we 
leave  the  peaceful  circle  of  the  convent  walls  and 
pass  out  into  the  wilderness  of  the  mountains,  over 
the  rocky  plateau  to  Wachtstein,  where  the  stony 
ruins  almost  overhang  the  rock.  Here  let  us  stop  and 
gaze  down  upon  the  country  lying  below  us — the 
ancient  Wasgau  spreading  before  our  eyes  with  its 
dark  woods  and  golden  undulations  of  corn-laden 
fields.     Here  and  there  old  villages  and  towns  dot  the 


144  THE  EHINE. 

landscape,  stretching  away  into  the  distance  to  where 
the  horizon  is  lost  in  blue  haze.  Far  off  we  see  the 
lofty  tower  of  Strasburg  Cathedral.  Then  our  eye 
returns  from  the  distant  prospect  to  our  own  imme- 
diate surroundings,  and  to  the  plateau  on  which  we 
stand.  At  its  foot  lie  scattered  ruins,  a  winding  path 
leads  down  through  the  bushes,  and  the  rain-worn 
boulders  stand  about,  and  look  like  huge  deserted 
altars.  A  pagan  atmosphere  seems  to  surround  us, 
and  we  are  in  the  presence  of  such  a  wilderness  that 
we  seem  to  feel  almost  as  if  the  old  creating  elements 
were  at  work  once  more. 

Presently  the  wind  begins  to  rise,  and  our  eye 
thoughtfully  follows  the  trace  of  the  crumbling 
"  Heathen  Wall,"  which  here  stands  again  before  us. 
A  kite  with  outspread  wings  hovers  over  us,  and  then 
slowly  descends  to  the  summits  of  the  woods.  Not  a 
human  soul  is  near.  The  genius  of  the  Past  takes 
possession  of  us ;  for  the  two  great  powers,  namely, 
Paganism  and  Christianity,  which  once  struggled  for 
the  possession  of  the  earth,  were  never  nearer  to  one 
another  than  they  are  here — the  one  which,  let  us 
hope,  has  now  expired,  and  the  other  that  new  Chris- 
tian faith  which  brandished  its  sword  and  built  its 
cloisters  throughout  all  Germany. 


THE  BLACK  FOREST.  145 


CHAPTER    XI. 

THE   BLACK   FOREST. 

We  now  begin  .a  becautiful,  quiet  journey ;  the 
loftiest  summits  of  the  Black  Forest  range  before  us 
in  a  long  blue  chain,  and  lovely  spots,  through  which 
we  are  to  pass,  are  shaded  by  the  mountains.  The 
deep  defile  through  which  the  road  goes  is  called  the 
Kappeler  Valley,  and  here  the  Acher  runs  between 
bare  rocks  to  the  Rhine,  though  in  our  immediate 
neighborhood  we  are  surrounded  by  meadows  which 
border  the  feet  of  the  wooded  slopes. 

This  is  the  land  where  Hebel's  old  German  poems 
and  Auerbach's  village  stories  had  their  origin,  and 
here  is  still  found  that  picturesque  distinctive  costume 
without  which  no  purely  national  life  can  be  imag- 
ined. Under  the  long  black  coat  is  seen  the  brilliant 
red  waistcoat,  and  the  blue  trustworthy-looking  eyes 
are  shaded  by  a  large  broad-brimmed  hat. 

The  Black  Forest,  or  Sch  warts  wold,  extends  for 
eighty-five  miles  almost  parallel  with  the  course  of 
the  Rhine,  from  which  it  is  distant  in  places  not  more 
than  twenty  miles.  The  Black  Forest  is  about  twenty- 
five  miles  wide.  Its  highest  point  is  near  Freiburg ; 
from  there  it  descends  steeply  to  the  Rhine.  The 
Vol.  L— 10 


146  THE  RHINE. 

summits  of  the  Black  Forest  are  covered  with  snow 
for  eight  months  out  of  the  year ;  consequently, 
agriculture  is  of  little  importance  to  the  inhabi- 
tants. 

The  Middle  Ages  have  left  many  traces  of  their 
history  in  this  district,  among  the  most  notable  being 
the  ruins  of  the  Castle  of  Yberg,  ill-famed  in  the 
mouths  of  the  people  because  an  impious  and  rapa- 
cious knight  had  there  exhumed  the  bones  of  his  an- 
cestors to  find  treasure  ;  also  the  Castle  of  Roeteln,  in 
the  vale  of  Wiesen,  the  home  of  the  poet  Hebel. 

Near  the  foot  of  the  mountains  the  villages  are 
large  and  handsome,  and  in  the  white  house  which  we 
entered  we  met  with  plain  but  hearty  hospitality. 
Newspapers  were  lying  on  the  table,  and  the  peasant 
was  able  and  willing  to  converse  on  all  that  was  going 
on  in  the  world.  He  showed  us  his  stables  and  barns, 
and  told  us  about  his  ancestors  and  his  children,  and 
when  we  at  length  asked  him  to  whom  we  were  in- 
debted for  so  much  kindness,  he  said  proudly,  "  I  am 
called  Michael  Kobel  the  Fifth !"  We  doubt  whether 
Charles  V.  was  more  proud  of  his  title  than  our  friend 
Kobel  the  Fifth  ! 

A  short  cut  brings  us  to  the  inn,  which  is  the  cen- 
tre of  life  in  every  village.  Nearly  all  the  inns  on 
the  Baden  side  of  the  Black  Forest,  and,  indeed,  be- 
yond in  the  plain  of  the  Rhine,  bear  one  of  the  an- 
cient signs  of  the  Lion,  the  Eagle,  the  Black  Horse, 
or  the  Swan.     They  generally  also  have  a  picture  of 


THE  BLACK  FOKEST.  147 

one  of  these  well-known  creatures  placed  conspicu- 
ously over  the  door  instead  of  an  inscription. 

The  host,  who  receives  us,  himself  carries  our  lug- 
gage into  the  comfortable  sitting-room,  where  we  find 
numerous  guests.  The  Avails  are  hung  with  tapestry, 
and  mingled  with  the  pictures  of  the  heroes  of  1870 
we  find  occasionally  portraits  of  Schiller  or  Goethe. 
From  the  ceiling  hangs  the  inevitable  carrier's  sign, 
for  that  must  have  its  place  of  honor — the  carrier 
being,  indeed,  the  embodied  symbol  of  progress. 

The  guests  who  are  seated  at  the  host's  table  are 
of  various  ranks  and  conditions,  though  all  seem  per- 
sons of  intelligence.  There  are  wood-carvers  and 
peasants,  tax-gatherers  and  parish  officials,  watchmen, 
and  other  local  dignitaries.  At  their  invitation  we 
seat  ourselves  at  the  table,  and  find  that  they  are  just 
discussing  an  official  enactment ;  and  the  way  in 
which  it  is  criticized,  the  sharpness  with  which  the 
weak  points  of  it  are  observed,  surprise  us  not  a 
little. 

The  great  events  of  the  last  few  years  still  form 
the  staple  of  all  public  conversation,  and  they  engage 
the  attention  of  the  two  carriers  who  sit  apart  from 
our  table,  each  clad  in  a  blue  smockfrock  and  carry- 
ing his  whip.  They  get  to  high  words  respecting  the 
fortifications  on  the  Moselle  and  the  Maas  ;  and  as 
neither  will  yield  they  ask  the  host  for  a  map,  which 
he  soon  produces,  and  on  which  they  continue  their 
endless  arguments. 


148  THE  RHINE. 

Those  features  which  we  heave  described  as  being 
common  to  the  large  villages  of  the  Kappeler  Valley 
are  found  in  the  large,  handsome  village  of  Otten- 
hofen,  which  lies  in  the  middle  of  the  valley.  The 
hamlet  of  Seebach  belongs  to  it,  and  though  unim- 
portant in  itself,  it  is  celebrated  for  the  ruins  of 
Bosenstein,  which  tower  above  it,  and  for  the  follow- 
ing legend  which  is  connected  with  it,  called  "  The 
Legend  of  the  Lady's  Grave." 

In  consequence  of  a  curse  which  a  starving  woman 
had  called  down  upon  the  wife  of  one  of  the  knights 
of  Bosenstein,  the  lady  bore  seven  sons  at  a  birth 
during  her  husband's  absence  in  a  distant  land.  The 
mother,  horrified  at  what  had  happened,  instructed  a 
servant  to  drown  six  of  the  children  ;  but  it  so  hap- 
pened that  just  as  the  dreadful  deed  was  about  to  be 
perpetrated,  the  father  accidentally  returned  and  res- 
cued the  infants.  By  his  order  they  were  reared  in 
the  depths  of  the  Avoods,  unknown  to  their  mother, 
and  when  they  were  strong,  handsome  knights  their 
father  invited  them  to  his  castle.  A  splendid  banquet 
was  prepared,  and  in  the  midst  of  it  the  lord  of  the 
castle  suddenly  asked  :  "  What  punishment  ought  to 
be  given  to  a  mother  who,  herself,  doomed  her  chil- 
dren to  death  f  "  She  should  be  buried  alive !" 
cried  the  Lady  of  Bosenstein,  with  feigned  indigna- 
tion. She  did  not  know  that  she  had  pronounced  her 
own  sentence ;  but  the  knight  started  up,  and  with 
terrible  mien  announced  to  her  her  doom.     She  was 


Cottage  in  tbe  Black  :|forest. 


THE  BLACK  FOREST.  149 

at  once  hurried  away  from  the  banquet,  led  down  into 
the  valley,  where  the  stream  springs  from  the  rock, 
and  there  may  be  seen  in  the  stone  a  deep  hole  which 
appears  to  have  been  hewn  out  by  human  hands — 
this  is  known  as  "  The  Lady's  Grave." 

The  path,  as  we  proceed,  takes  us  still  deeper  into 
the  forest.  Here  and  there  a  steep  foot-path  leads  up 
through  the  thicket  from  the  broad  circuitous  road. 
The  masses  of  wood  lie  below,  with  their  green  sum- 
mits swelling  in  dark  waves  like  a  green  sea.  What 
profound  rest !  what  holy  silence  !  nothing  but  the 
rustling  of  the  wood  is  heard  around.  Such  is  the 
spot  where  the  venerable  monastery  of  All  Saints 
stands.  It  is  no  longer,  indeed,  a  monastery,  but 
only  the  ruins  of  one  ;  for  the  weather-beaten  pil- 
lars stand  desolate,  and  for  many  years  past  the 
transept  with  its  pointed  roof  has  lain  shattered  on 
the  ground. 

Even  in  the  ruins,  however,  there  is  a  kind  of 
rhythmical  beauty  which,  with  such  surroundings  as 
it  possesses,  exercises  a  sort  of  fascination  on  the  be- 
holder ;  it  is  a  picture  of  rare  poetical  power — a  stone 
elegy.  The  history  of  the  monastery  is  old  and  in- 
teresting. Its  foundation  reaches  as  far  back  as  the 
time  when  the  great  Barbarossa  sank  in  the  floods  of 
the  Calycadnus,  for  it  was  at  that  time  (1196)  that  Uta 
von  Schauenburg  gave  the  rich  estate  to  the  Prsemon- 
stratensian  monks,  and  it  was  not  long  before  their 
institution  became  the  most  powerful  of  that  region. 


150  THE  KHINE. 

In  the  seventeenth  century  it  was  raised  to  the 
dignity  of  an  abbey,  and,  in  spite  of  many  calamities, 
it  maintained  its  ancient  renown  till  the  year  1802, 
when  it  shared  the  lot  of  other  reUgious  houses,  and 
its  property  was  secularized. 

But  a  worse  fate  than  even  this  lay  in  store  for  the 
sacred  edifice.  One  year  after  the  event  above  re- 
ferred to  the  roof  was  set  on  fire  by  lightning. 
Strange  to  say,  this  misfortune  happened  on  the  an- 
niversary of  the  foundation  of  the  church,  on  the  day 
of  the  year  when  the  bells  had  formerly  been  accus- 
tomed to  ring  out  proudly  to  assert  the  glory  of  the 
lordly  abbey.  On  this  occasion  they  sounded  an 
alarm,  and  clanged  despairingly  for  help.  But  help 
was  of  no  avail ;  the  stately  buildings  which  sur- 
rounded the  monastery  soon  lay  a  heap  of  rubbish, 
only  the  blackened  stone  pillars  of  the  church  re- 
mained standing.  The  beautiful  ruin  now  lies  among 
the  green  pines  like  the  tomb  of  departed  splendor, 
and  we  almost  seem  still  to  hear  the  echo  of  the  Me- 
mento Mori  which  used  to  be  sung  here ! 

We  pass  the  old  monastery  garden,  where  the  wind 
plays  among  the  rustling  limes,  and  soon  we  find  the 
valley  becoming  narrower  as  we  proceed.  All  at  once 
it  sinks  to  its  lowest  depth,  and  the  valley  has  become 
a  ravine  full  of  crevices  and  rocks,  which  lie  in  slabs 
like  steps,  over  which  the  river  rushes  angrily,  as  if 
to  secure  possession  of  the  path  ;  these  are  the  Biit- 
tenstein  Falls,  some  of  them  fifty  feet  in  height. 


THE  BLACK  FOREST.  151 

The  beauty  of  this  woodland  picture  was  for  cen- 
turies unknown  and  unseen,  but  the  searching  eye  of 
the  present  day  has  brought  it  to  light.  A  secure 
path  now  leads  the  traveller  over  to  the  seven  falls, 
and  by  the  same  route  we  come  down  the  Lierbach 
Valley  to  Oppenau. 

Another  point  of  interest  lies  near  us  on  this 
journey  if  we  take  the  road  out  of  Ottenhofen  which 
leads  up  to  the  Hornisgrinde.  There  lies  the  Miim- 
mel  Lake,  that  expanse  of  water  which  the  pregnant 
superstition  of  the  peasantry  peoples  with  a  hundred 
hovering  sprites.  It  is  a  dark,  melancholy  mirror, 
framed  in  fir  woods,  through  Avhich  the  wind  sighs 
almost  inaudibly.  No  fish  are  found  in  this  lake,  and 
the  water  is  black  and  mysterious.  It  is  said  to  be 
the  abode  of  the  Avater-god  Miimmel  and  his  seven 
beautiful  daughters,  the  Miimmelchen. 

Tradition  says  that  a  desperate  poacher  once  killed 
a  gamekeeper  in  the  nearby  forest,  and  threw  the 
body  into  the  Miimmelsee,  thinking  that  the  black 
water  would  keep  his  secret ;  but  as  the  murderer 
stood  watching  the  ripples  made  by  the  body  as  it 
sank,  the  water-god,  who  would  allow  nothing  to  be 
throAvn  into  his  domain,  rose  up  in  wrath,  caught  the 
poacher  by  the  legs,  and  drew  him  down  under  the 
water,  where  he  was  drowned. 

The  daughters  of  the  old  water-god  rise  up  out 
of  the  lake  every  moonlight  night,  dressed  in  green 
and  white,  with  diamonds  in  their  hair.     They  dance 


152  THE  KHINE. 

all  the  night  through  on  the  shore.  As  the  first  glim- 
mer of  dawn  appears  their  father  rises  up  out  of  the 
lake,  beckoning  them  back  to  their  native  element. 
As  they  touch  the  water  they  are  transformed  into 
water-lilies,  and  they  lie  all  day  lazily  rocking  on  the 
bosom  of  the  lake. 

One  night  a  young  shepherd  met  with  one  of  the 
water-sprites,  who  had  strayed  far  from  her  sisters. 
They  sat  together  on  the  soft  moss ;  they  sang,  they 
embraced,  and  never  in  his  life  had  he  seen  so  beautiful 
a  creature.  He  himself  was  one  of  the  handsomest 
lads  in  the  country  round,  with  bright  golden  hair  and 
pink  and  white  cheeks,  so  that  the  Black  Forest  had 
never  contained  a  happier  or  fairer  pair  of  lovers. 

One  request  alone  she  made,  and  that  was,  that  if 
by  chance  she  should  at  any  time  not  come  to  the 
border  of  the  lake,  he  was  on  no  account  to  call  her, 
as  his  doing  so  would  cause  the  destruction  of  them 
both.  For  two  days,  during  which  she  did  not  come, 
he  heeded  the  warning,  but  on  the  third,  being  driven 
by  a  powerful  impulse  to  the  border  of  the  lake,  where 
he  could  see  the  water  roses  blooming  in  the  depths, 
he  called  beseechingly  on  the  name  of  his  beloved. 
He  called  !  he  listened  ! — suddenly  darkness  fell  on  the 
mountains,  the  water  of  the  lake  began  to  foam,  and, 
driven  by  irresistible  terror,  he  fled  into  the  depth  of 
the  woods,  and  was  never  after  seen  by  human  eye. 

The  immediate  surroundings  of  the  lake  harmonize 
with  the  gloomy  legends  which  are  associated  with  it. 


THE  BLACK  FOREST.  153 

On  the  south  bank,  where  Seebach  seems  to  steal  out 
of  the  dreary  Avilderness  in  order  to  hasten  to  the 
cheerful  valley,  there  stands  a  rough  stone  hut ;  it  is 
uninhabited,  and  its  bare  rooms  lack  that  charm 
Avhich  the  presence  of  man  breathes  into  dead  walls. 
For  all  this  lonesomeness  it  has  had  a  friendly  aspect 
to  many,  for  it  is  placed  where  it  is  as  a  shelter  for 
stray  travellers  who  are  overtaken  by  storms  ;  it  be- 
longs to  everyone  and  yet  to  no  one. 

The  scenery  becomes  wilder  as  Ave  ascend  the 
jagged  footpath  ;  there  are  no  more  huts,  but  the 
overhanging  Avail  of  rock  protects  us  from  AA'ind  and 
rain.  A  AA^eather-worn  finger-post  nailed  to  one  of 
the  fir-trees  points  us  out  the  road,  from  Avhich  we 
look  doAvn  upon  the  dark  lake.  The  ancient  Romans 
must  have  felt  the  fascination  that  lies  in  these  depths 
when  they  called  the  place  Lacus  Mirabilis. 

We  have  now  reached  the  summit  of  the  Hornis- 
grinde,  and  find  it  gloomy  and  desolate  ;  the  keen 
wind  sweeps  over  the  plateau,  on  Avhich  short  heath 
and  broAvn  rushes  grow  plentifully,  for  the  ground  is 
marshy  and  poor.  A  pointed  tower  on  the  summit, 
in  which  we  vainly  seek  a  door,  shows  the  four  points 
of  the  compass ;  and  here  we  see  the  beautiful 
world  lying  beneath  us  for  an  immeasurable  dis- 
tance. We  look  from  Hohgau  on  Lake  Constance 
to  the  Taunus — from  the  source  of  the  Danube,  over 
the  plain  of  the  Rhine,  as  far  as  the  summits  of  the 
Vosges. 


154  THE  BHINE. 


CHAPTER    XIL 

BADEN-BADEN. 

Although  the  renown  of  Baden-Baden  is  of 
modern  origin,  a  knowledge  of  the  place  existed  in 
very  early  times,  for  here,  as  elsewhere,  the  Romans 
took  possession  of  the  warm  springs  and  made  them 
the  centre  of  a  town  called  Civitas  Aurelia  Aquensis. 
After  the  fall  of  the  Romans  the  place  suffered  much 
in  various  wars ;  but  when  it  had  risen  slowly  out  of 
its  ruins  not  a  few  abbots  and  knights  strove  for  its 
possession,  until  at  length  Barbarossa  gave  it  in  fee 
to  the  Margrave  Hermann,  who  died  in  the  Crusades 
in  1190.  Under  his  family  the  town  reached  a  po- 
sition of  great  prosperity,  and  a  fine  new  building 
was  erected  in  the  early  part  of  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury, in  addition  to  the  old  castle  which  stood  high 
up  on  the  mountain.  The  new  edifice  was  placed 
lower  down,  almost  on  a  level  with  the  cheerful,  busy 
town,  but  it  was  at  last  destroyed  by  the  fire  of  the 
French  soldiery.  After  lying  for  a  long  time  in  a 
state  of  ruin,  the  castle  was  rebuilt,  and  now  serves 
as  the  summer  residence  of  the  reigning  family. 

A  handsome  road  with  a  broad  rampart  leads  up 
from  the  town,  and  the  outer  wall  is   surrounded  by 


BADEN-BADEN.  155 

ancient,  rustling  trees.  While  the  old  building, 
which  was  burnt  in  1689,  was  so  remarkable  for  its 
architectural  features  as  to  be  frequently  compared 
with  the  Castle  of  Heidelberg,  the  present  structure 
is  plain  and  unpretending,  all  the  rooms  being  de- 
signed rather  for  domestic  comfort  than  for  the  dis- 
play of  regal  splendor. 

The  only  relic  which  recalls  to  us  the  primitive 
times  of  this  stronghold  are  the  mysterious  dark  dun- 
geons which  extend  far  under  the  castle,  the  precise 
use  of  which  have  not  yet  been  ascertained.  The 
guide  descends  to  them  with  a  flaming  torch  in  his 
hand,  and  we  grope  after  him  through  a  labyrinth  of 
passages ;  on  one  side  we  hear  the  creaking  of  a 
prison  door,  on  the  other  the  noise  of  an  iron  bolt. 
If  we  examine  closer  we  find  that  the  door  is  com- 
posed of  a  single  slab  of  stone,  and  that  the  bolt 
is  nearly  ten  feet  long,  and  runs  from  one  chamber 
to  another. 

For  a  long  time  the  prevalent  opinion  was  that  this 
was  one  of  the  centres  of  the  ancient  Vehnigericht, 
and  if  this  is  not  the  true  historical  explanation,  the 
first  impression  of  the  place  is  so  horrible  that  it  is 
easy  to  understand  how  the  idea  arose.  What  a 
fearful  and  pitiless  time  must  that  have  been  when 
hammer  and  chisel  were  plied  to  furnish  such  a 
shelter  for  the  enemies  of  the  builder !  What  is 
imprisonment  in  our  days  compared  with  this  entomb- 
ment? 


156  THE  RHINE. 

The  old  castle  stands  much  higher,  about  three 
miles  above  the  town  itself,  and  consists  of  pictur- 
esque ruins,  which  lay  hidden  for  centuries  in  the 
green  depths  of  the  wood  before  the  curiosity  of  man 
found  a  path  to  its  heights.  Now  it  is  all  carefully 
arranged  and  made  easy  of  access,  for  man  soon 
brought  the  luxury  of  Baden-Baden  hither.  The 
huge  masses  of  rock  which  rise  in  all  their  wild  rug- 
gedness  behind  the  castle  give  an  idea  of  what  the 
character  of  the  place  was  when  Hermann  and  Bern- 
hard,  Jacob  and  Christopher,  dwelt  at  Hohenbaden. 
From  this  spot  we  have  a  fine  and  extensive  view  of 
the  country  below. 

The  town  lies  partly  in  the  green  valley  and  partly 
on  the  slopes  of  the  hills  on  either  side  ;  beyond  this 
we  see  open  meadow-land  and  wooded  heights,  and 
through  the  valley  the  clear  waters  of  the  river  ripple 
merrily.  Truly  we  gaze  upon  a  little  earthly  Para- 
dise. After  leaving  Hohenbaden  we  soon  come  upon 
another  citadel,  which  stands  upon  a  steep  point  of 
rock,  and  Avas  once  the  castle  of  the  Counts  of  Eber- 
stein.  They  themselves  have  long  ago  disappeared 
into  obscurity,  but  legend  still  winds  its  tendrils 
about  the  rugged  walls,  and  though  it  is  long  since 
any  bold  knight  added  to  its  renown,  there  was  an 
observant  poet  who  many  a  time  paid  it  a  visit.  The 
beautiful  ballad  which  Uhland  sang  to  the  Counts  of 
Eberstein  is  well  known. 

Not  far  from  the  castle  are  two  great  rocks,  known 


Bntrance  to  tbe  ©l^  Castle,  3BaDen*JBaOen. 


BADEN-BADEN.  157 

among  the  peasantry  as  the  angel's  and  the  devil's 
pulpits. 

The  legend  concerning  them  tells  how  the  devil, 
getting  tired  of  the  lower  regions,  came  up  to  the 
surface  of  the  earth  one  day,  through  the  springs 
of  Baden-Baden,  which  have  tasted  of  sulphur  ever 
since. 

He  was  very  much  in  need  of  new  victims  to 
roast,  so  he  stationed  himself  on  one  of  these  rocks 
and  began  to  preach.  The  passers-by,  knights, 
priests,  and  peasants,  curious  to  hear  what  it  Avas  all 
about,  stopped  to  listen  to  his  eloquence,  and  soon  he 
had  them  so  fascinated  that  they  could  not  tell  right 
from  wrong,  nor  black  from  white,  so  plausible  was 
he  in  his  arguments. 

Just  when  it  seemed  that  Satan  would  return  to 
his  kingdom  with  a  goodly  number  of  converts,  the 
heavens  opened  and  an  angel  floated  down,  and 
taking  his  stand  on  a  rock  opposite,  began  to  preach 
with  a  still  small  voice,  but  in  a  very  different 
strain. 

The  devil,  enraged,  raised  his  voice  and  tried  to 
drown  the  low  voice  of  the  angel,  but  one  by  one 
his  hearers  left  him  to  gather  round  the  heavenly 
messenger  and  listen  to  his  words  of  peace.  The 
devil,  finding  himself  alone,  began  to  swear  and 
tear  up  the  grass  and  shrubs,  and  he  stamped  his 
red-hot  feet  on  the  rock  so  hard  that  the  prints  of  his 
hoofs  can  be  seen  to  this  day. 


158  THE  RHINE. 

But  we  must  now  bid  farewell  to  the  reminis- 
cences of  legendary  times,  and  descend  from  the 
solitude  of  the  woods  to  the  active  bustle  of  the 
present  which  prevails  in  the  valley  below.  The 
large  number  of  fugitives  who  fled  from  France 
during  the  terror  of  the  Great  Revolution,  and 
who  populated  the  German  towns  from  Lake  Con- 
stance to  Coblentz,  considerably  influenced  the 
whole  character  of  Baden,  and  continued  to  do  so 
until  the  events  of  1870  broke  through  these  tra- 
ditions. 

Since  that  time  the  number  of  foreign  visitors 
has  rapidly  increased,  for  while  forty  years  ago 
they  scarcely  amounted  to  five  thousand,  at  the 
present  time  they  reach  the  number  of  sixty  thou- 
sand a  year.  The  establishments  which  are  appro- 
priated to  the  amusement  of  this  avalanche  of  visitors 
have  obtained  a  degree  of  perfection  which  justifies 
the  inhabitants  in  considering  their  spa  the  first  in 
the  world. 

This  is  true  from  a  social  rather  than  from  a  hy- 
gienic point  of  view,  for  the  complaint  for  the  cure 
of  which  Baden-Baden  is  most  efficacious  is  ennui. 
For  that  old  craving  which  goes  through  all  humanity, 
and  appears  and  reappears  on  thousands  of  lips,  if  it 
also  dies  on  thousands — that  craving  for  pleasure  and 
parade,  for  splendor  and  delight,  is  met  with  here  in 
its  most  concentrated  form. 

Busy  hands  have  brought  together  almost  all  the 


BADEN-BADEN.  159 

good  things  of  this  worki ;  the  merchant  has  brought 
his  stores,  the  gardener  his  flowers,  the  goldsmith  his 
costly  treasures,  and  the  artist  his  art.  Music  sounds 
over  the  polished  floor^  horses  fly  over  the  green 
course,  shots  whiz  through  the  air,  and  golden-haired 
sirens  crowd  round  the  spring  which  once  was  hidden 
in  the  deep  recesses  of  the  wood.  Unceasingly  is 
heard  the  sound,  echoing,  roaring,  singing,  ringing  in 
our  ears,  "  Live,  enjoy  life  !"  Still,  as  all  these  en- 
joyments created  only  satiety  and  not  happiness, 
there  came  another  holding  a  shining  ball  in  his  hand 
and  saying,  "  Here  is  something  which  is  the  essence 
of  happiness — try  this  !"  Then  he  set  the  ball  roll- 
ing, and  thousands  of  gleaming  eyes  folloAved  it. 
Thousands  also  rolled  their  glittering  gold  after  it,  as 
at  every  throw  and  every  fresh  turn  in  the  game,  the 
haggard  croupier  repeated  his  monotonous  formula, 
"  Messieurs,  faites  votre  jeu  ;  le  jeu  est  fait,  rien  ne 
va  plus  !"  Thus  Baden-Baden  has  become  what  it 
is,  and  though  public  gambling  has  been  abolished 
since  1872,  something  seems  to  remain  even  now  of 
the  feverishness  of  that  time,  and  of  that  eager  pur- 
suit of  fortune  which  was  then  a  characteristic  of  the 
place. 

It  would  be  unjust  to  look  upon  all  this  as  the  real 
nature  of  the  lovely  spa,  for  many  live  there  in  the 
quiet  round  of  every-day  duties,  and  many  find  their 
enjoyment  there  solely  in  a  pure  sense  of  the  beauty 
which  Nature  spreads  before  them.     But  it  is  also 


160  THE  EHINE. 

true  that  thousands  come  to  drag  through  their  weary 
days  with  the  help  of  this  copious  supply  of  excite- 
ment. They  feel  nothing  of  the  fresh,  fir-scented 
breeze ;  they  appreciate  nothing  of  the  idyllic  beauty 
of  a  happy,  sheltered  home  ;  they  seek  the  fever  that 
consumes,  the  excitement  that  destroys,  and  they 
exhibit  all  their  wealth  in  order  to  conceal  their  real 
poverty.  It  is  of  them  only  that  we  have  spoken 
here  ;  the  harmless  guests,  who  also  assemble  from 
all  parts  of  the  world,  shall  not  be  mentioned  with 
them,  but  only  that  community  which  appears,  more 
or  less,  in  every  fashionable  watering-place,  and 
which  has  its  own  peculiar  physiognomy.  For 
these  the  word  Baden-Baden  means  something  quite 
different,  and  the  disappearance  of  the  gaming- 
tables and  of  the  French  element  is  indeed  a  serious 
loss. 

The  Friedrichsbad  is  the  principal  bath-house.  It 
was  erected  about  twenty-five  years  ago,  and  rises 
on  terraces  from  the  Stein-Strasse,  quite  close  to  the 
springs.  The  internal  arrangements  of  this  estab- 
lishment are  unsurpassed.  There  are  hot  and  cold 
baths,  plunge-,  vapor-  and  sitz-baths ;  large  swim- 
ming-pools, with  warm  and  cold  water ;  and  one 
floor  is  set  apart  for  curative  gymnastics  and  mas- 
sage. 

Though  each  individual  is  at  liberty  to  select  that 
part  of  the  town  which  he  fancies  will  suit  his  health 
best,  the  social  pleasui'es  of  the  place  are  decidedly 


BADEN-BADEN.  161 

centralized,  and  the  centre  is  that  lovely  park  in 
which  the  Conversation  House  stands.  The  long 
drinking-hall  is  shaded  by  handsome  trees  and  sur- 
rounded by  gay  flower-beds,  and  has  lofty  open  cor- 
ridors, which  are  decorated  with  illustrations  from  the 
most  interesting  of  the  legends  of  the  Black  Forest. 
We  see  the  dancing  nixies  of  the  Miimmelsee,  the 
Emperor  Otto  encamped  before  Eberstein,  which  his 
men  are  besieging  in  vain,  and  the  gipsy  woman 
watching  her  treasures  beside  the  splashing  water- 
fall of  All  Saints.  Such  were  the  forms  which  passed 
over  these  spots  when  the  miraculous  spring,  to  which 
thousands  now  make  their  pilgrimage,  -was  still  a 
hidden  forest  secret,  known  only  to  the  lofty  pines 
and  to  the  silent  rocks. 

So  we  muse.  But  we  must  leave  the  fascinations 
of  bygone  days  and  step  into  the  circle  of  the  busy 
exulting  life  of  the  present  day,  for  indeed  we  stand 
on  the  spot  where  the  life-pulse  beats  loudest.  Music 
crashes  out  from  the  kiosk  which  lies  opposite  the 
Conversation  House ;  the  countess  in  her  long  silken 
train  bows  graciously  to  the  prince,  who  offers  her 
his  arm.  What  caprices  of  humanity  are  exhibited 
in  all  these  garments !  What  caprices  of  Nature  in 
all  these  forms,  which  range  from  the  truly  noble  to 
the  basely  criminal !  The  croAvd  becomes  thicker 
and  thicker  •,  rattling  equipages  fly  past. 

It  is  now  twiUght,  and  the  branched  candelabra  are 
lighted,  and  a  great  display  of  fireworks  is  prepared 
Vol.  I.— 11 


162  THE  KHINE. 

for  the  evening.  As  the  air  is  mild  and  warm  the 
folding-doors  of  the  rooms  are  thrown  open,  and 
forms  of  fairy-like  beauty  stream  in  and  out,  making 
a  constant  movement  like  the  flowing  of  a  river. 
There  also  is  the  rustling  of  the  ladies'  dresses,  the 
noise  of  endless  conversation,  and  that  predominating 
hum  of  life  which  pervades  every  room  but  one.  In 
this  strict  silence  reigns,  so  much  so  that  one  can 
hear  the  very  breathing  of  the  men  who  sit  there  and 
who  brood  over  the  newspapers  of  all  countries.  It 
is  this  reading-room  which  is  decorated  in  the  richest 
style  of  the  Renaissance. 

Presently  the  shower  of  fireworks  outside  attracts 
even  the  tenants  of  this  silent  apartment ;  the  old 
castle  is  already  illuminated  by  Bengal  lights ;  thou- 
sands of  rockets  burst,  and  people  from  all  parts 
crowd  to  see  the  beautiful  display.  It  is  midnight 
before  the  crowd  on  the  Kurplatz  begins  to  clear 
away  ;  and  then  the  jeweller,  who  comes  in  the  season 
from  the  Palais-Royal,  shuts  up  his  ebony  case,  and 
the  fair  moths  who  flutter  round  his  glittering  treas- 
ures slowly  disappear.  Baden-Baden  retires  to  rest, 
and  there  is  silence  in  the  houses  and  in  the  streets, 
and  no  sound  is  heard  except  that  of  the  splashing 
waters  of  the  Oos,  which  murmur  through  the  town 
as  they  pass  under  the  gray  iron  bridges. 

The  season  is,  naturaUy,  at  its  height  in  the  au- 
tumn, at  the  time  of  the  great  races,  which  are 
among  the  most  important  of  those  on  the  Continent. 


Conversation  Ibouse,  JSat)en*3Ba&en. 


BADEN-BADEN.  163 

Occasionally  not  less  than  from  one  to  two  hundred 
horses  are  entered,  though  only  about  half  the  num- 
ber actually  go  over  the  course ;  the  total  value  of 
the  prizes  reaches  nearly  a  hundred  thousand  marks. 
The  course  is  about  eight  miles  distant  from  the  town, 
in  the  plain  of  the  Rhine,  near  the  village  of  Iffez- 
heim.  IfFezheim  is,  at  this  season,  the  most  bril- 
liant of  all  the  brilliant  spectacles  that  Baden  has  to 
offer. 

Pigeon-shooting  is  also  practised  on  the  same 
course — a  cruel  sport,  the  introduction  of  which  does 
not  add  to  the  credit  of  Germany.  The  number  of 
live  pigeons  yearly  required  for  this  purpose  amounts 
to  many  thousands. 

But  the  special  and  the  greatest  attraction  which 
life  in  Baden-Baden  offers  is  not  to  be  found  in  the 
brilliant  crowd ;  we  must  seek  it  in  those  charming 
retired  villas  which  lie  along  the  banks  of  the  river 
in  the  Lichtenthaler  Allee.  The  gardens  which  sur- 
round each  house  are  laid  out  with  the  greatest  care. 
More  than  a  thousand  cartloads  of  the  best  forest 
mould  are  often  brought  for  a  single  garden,  and 
fifteen  or  sixteen  hundred  of  the  most  costly  plants 
are  used  to  fill  one  small  bed. 

But  we  must  pass  on,  away  from  modern  Baden- 
Baden,  back  to  mediaeval  times.  A  mile  and  a  half 
from  the  town  is  the  village  of  Lichtenthal.  We 
pass  through  it,  cross  the  bridge,  and,  turning  to  the 
right,  find  ourselves  at  the  Nunnery  of  Lichtenthal. 


164  THE  KHINE. 

It  was  founded  in  1245  by  Irmingard,  the  grand- 
daughter of  Henry  the  Lyon.  The  convent  has  es- 
caped destruction  in  some  miraculous  way,  and  is 
still  occupied  by  Cistercian  Nuns.  In  the  church 
adjoining  is  the  tomb  of  Irmingard. 

In  strong  contrast  to  the  mediaeval  character  of 
the  place,  a  war  monument  of  1870-71  rises  directly 
in  front  of  the  nunnery. 

But  it  is  growing  late ;  we  must  hasten  back  to 
Baden-Baden.  As  we  near  the  town  the  lights 
twinkle  out  from  the  Conversation  House  and  we  hear 
the  strains  of  the  band.  Looking  on  this  enchanted 
scene  we  wonder  that  Ave  can  ever  leave  it ;  but  is 
there  any  spot  on  earth  so  lovely  that  we  could  enjoy 
it  forever  f 


THE  PFALZ.  165 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE   PFALZ. 

A  BRIGHT,  sunny  picture  lies  before  us  when  we 
set  foot  upon  the  soil  of  the  Pfalz.  Life  surges  round 
us,  like  a  pulse  which  beats  more  rapidly  here  than 
in  the  other  countries  of  Germany.  The  speech  is 
loud  and  cheerful,  and  there  appears  in  labor,  as  well 
as  in  pleasure,  a  sort  of  energy  which  compels  our 
sympathy.  The  secret  of  this  local  characteristic, 
perhaps,  exists  in  the  fact  that  the  vine  flourishes 
here  most  luxuriantly,  and  covers  hill  and  dale,  and 
clambers  even  over  the  poorest  cottage. 

A  district  which  proves  itself  so  useful,  and  is  so 
well  cultivated,  cannot,  perhaps,  be  called  exactly 
beautiful,  but  it  bears  that  stamp  which  careful  in- 
dustry never  fails  to  imprint.  There  are,  however, 
parts  of  the  Pfalz  where  the  hand  of  man  has  never 
interfered  with  the  fine,  bold,  natural  forms,  and 
where  the  charm  of  picturesque  beauty  is  added  to 
the  fertility  of  the  soil.  It  is  through  such  a  portion 
of  the  Pfalz  that  our  road  leads  us. 

We  pass  through  the  Rockland  of  Dahn,  with  its 
long  undulations  of  dark  pine-wood  interspersed  with 
rugged  red  sandstone,  and  then  through  those  re- 
markable districts  where  from  the   steep  mountain- 


166  THE  EHINE. 

summits  scattered  ruins  look  down  into  the  valley  be- 
low. Those  ruins  are  the  remains  of  strongholds 
within  whose  walls  the  weal  or  woe  of  the  Empire 
was  once  decided. 

The  coach  carries  us  out  of  the  little  town  of  Berg- 
zabern,  with  its  partly  ruined  fortifications,  towards 
the  mountains.  The  road  continually  leads  us  up- 
wards, and  runs  between  thick  fir-trees  ;  it  passes  an 
old  mill,  several  solitary  crosses,  and  occasionally  a 
wagon  drawn  by  a  weary  team.  But  in  spite  of  the 
quiet  surroundings  we  feel  the  bodily  and  mental  ac- 
tivity which  is  at  work  in  the  inhabitants,  and  small 
as  the  place  is,  its  people  are  overflowing  with  energy. 
Every  child  can  give  us  what  information  w^e  require 
concerning  the  road.  When  we  ask  which  Avay  will 
lead  us  up  to  the  steep  rock  called  the  "  Maiden's 
Leap,"  we  obtain  an  intelligent  answer. 

In  the  inn  parlor,  where  the  dignitaries  of  the  place 
assemble  to  take  their  evening  glass,  every  guest  is 
welcome,  and  we  are  favorably  impressed  by  the 
modest  neatness  of  the  room  and  the  eloquence  of 
its  inhabitants. 

The  following  morning  we  ascend  to  the  two  great 
strongholds,  Trifels  and  Madenburg,  which  are  united 
by  a  long  dark  spur  of  rock.  Nothing  remains  of 
either  except  wild  ruins,  which  indicate  the  splendor 
of  past  times.  Madenburg  is  the  grandest  ruin  in 
the  Rhenish  Palatinate,  but  Trifels  is  especially  rich 
in  reminiscences ;  it  was  not  simply  a  princely  strong- 


THE  PFALZ.  167 

hold,  but  an  imperial  castle  in  all  its  splendor.  The 
inhabitants  of  the  Pfalz  have  almost  forgotten  its  ex- 
istence in  the  daily  bustle  of  their  everyday  work, 
but  great,  eternal  Nature  has  laid  her  protecting  hand 
upon  this  relic. 

The  path  leads  up  to  the  castle  through  a  beech 
wood  with  its  shining  branches,  and  when  we  gain 
the  summit  a  vast  world  lies  before  us  studded  with 
meadows  and  streams,  towns  and  castles.  It  Avas 
here  that  the  Emperor  Henry  IV.  sat  in  the  deepest 
anguish,  when  the  German  princes  vowed  to  renounce 
him  if  he  did  not  remove  the  interdict  within  six 
months ;  and  it  was  to  this  place  that  the  costly 
treasures  of  the  Empire  were  brought,  and  here  they 
remained  for  years  in  safety. 

Now  nothing  but  waste  ruins  are  left ;  princes 
dwell  here  no  longer ;  songs  no  more  resound  and 
echo  through  these  walls ;  gold  no  longer  adorns  its 
chambers,  except  the  glorious  light  of  the  setting 
sun.  Merry  children  now  play  and  romp  whore 
princes  wept,  and  the  beech-trees  with  their  rustling 
branches  alone  stand  in  lofty  pride,  with  dark  moss 
growing  on  their  trunks,  and  birds  singing  over- 
head. The  imperial  citadel  of  Trifels  is  now  dumb 
forever ! 

During  the  Third  Crusade  Richard  the  Lion- 
Hearted  and  Leopold  of  Austria  were  besieging 
Acre.  Both  were  noted  for  their  courage,  and  they 
vied  with  one  another  in  performing  many  vaUant 


168  THE  RHINE. 

deeds  of  arms.  Leopold,  jealous  of  Richard's  supe- 
rior glory,  finally  gave  up  the  siege  and  returned 
home,  vowing  that  he  would  make  the  English  King 
bitterly  regret  having  overshadowed  him  by  his  supe- 
rior prowess. 

Leopold  soon  had  the  opportunity  of  fulfilling  his 
vow ;  for  Richard,  returning  from  the  Crusade,  was 
shipwrecked  on  the  coast  of  Illyria,  and  was  forced  to 
make  his  way  back  to  England  alone  and  on  foot. 
He  exchanged  his  garments  for  a  pilgrim's  robe  and 
scrip,  and  proceeded  on  his  way,  passing  safely 
through  the  greater  part  of  Austria. 

One  day  he  found  himself  obliged  to  part  with  his 
signet-ring  to  procure  him  food  and  shelter.  This 
ring  betrayed  him  to  his  enemies.  He  was  seized 
and  imprisoned  in  the  Fortress  of  Durrenstein,  and 
kept  there  until  Henry  IV.  of  Germany  took  him 
into  custody,  and  transferred  him  to  this  castle  of 
Trifels. 

While  Richard  was  pining  in  captivity,  wondering 
why  his  faithful  subjects  made  no  effort  to  find  him, 
his  brother,  John  Lackland,  had  usurped  the  throne 
and  was  reigning  in  Richard's  stead.  The  people 
hated  John,  and  longed  for  the  return  of  their  right- 
ful king,  but  only  one  man  thought  of  going  in  search 
of  him.  This  was  Blondel,  the  King's  minstrel ;  he 
felt  sure  that  Richard  had  been  taken  prisoner  by 
the  Emperor  of  Germany.  So  he  started  to  find  his 
master,  and  wandered  from  town  to  town,  and   from 


THE  PFALZ.  169 

castle  to  castle,  questioning  all  whom  he  met,  and 
singing,  under  the  walls  of  every  stronghold,  a  pecu- 
liar air  known  only  to  the  King  and  himself. 

After  months  of  weary  wandering  Blondel  came  to 
Trifels,  and  under  the  tower  he  began  to  sing  his 
little  song.  Imagine  his  joy  Avhen  he  heard  the  re- 
frain taken  up  by  the  voice  of  his  dear  King ! 
Richard,  his  long-lost  master,  was  found,  and  his 
weary  search  was  ended. 

But  Blondel  could  do  nothing  alone  to  deliver  his 
King,  so  he  hastened  back  to  England,  told  the  Eng- 
lish nobles  the  residt  of  his  quest,  and  they  gladly 
undertook  Richard's  release.  His  ransom  was  paid 
and  Richard  came  home  in  triumph,  ousted  his  traitor 
brother,  and  ruled  over  England  for  many  years.  He 
died  in  1199,  and  was  buried  at  Rouen,  where  his 
tomb  may  be  seen  to  this  day. 

The  present  capital  of  the  Pfalz — if  one  may  speak 
of  the  capital  of  a  province — is  Speyer.  It  is  adapted 
for  this  position  neither  by  its  size  nor  by  its  outward 
appearance,  but  for  this  very  reason  its  past  history 
is  the  more  important,  for  it  belongs  in  an  eminent 
degree  to  the  historical  cities  of  the  Empire.  Its 
growth  began  early,  like  that  of  the  other  Rhenish 
towns ;  it  was  first  fortified  in  the  time  of  the  Ro- 
mans, and  called  Augusta  Nemetum ;  a  bishop  held 
his  court  here  under  the  Frankish  king  in  the  fourth 
century,  and  two  hundred  years  later  a  Carlovingian 
emperor  chose  it  as  his  favorite  dwelling-place. 


170  THE  EHINE. 

Numerous  imperial  Diets  have  been  held  in  Speyer, 
but  the  most  important  was  that  of  1529,  under 
Charles  V.,  after  which  those  who  had  espoused  the 
cause  of  the  Reformation  received  the  name  of 
Protestants,  from  their  protest  against  the  hostile 
majority. 

From  the  sixth  century  Speyer  is  more  bound  up 
with  the  traditions  of  the  Empire  than  any  other  Ger- 
man town ;  and  though  it  was  often  but  a  temporary 
dwelling-place  for  the  Emperors,  it  was  an  eternal 
resting-place  for  many  of  its  great  rulers.  It  was  not 
only  when  their  hearts  longed  for  brilliant  pageants 
or  the  assembly  of  their  vassals  at  the  imperial  Diet, 
that  their  eyes  turned  towards  Speyer,  but  their 
thoughts  followed  the  same  path  when  those  great 
hearts  Avere  weary  and  they  felt  their  end  approach- 
ing ;  Speyer  was  the  dying  thought  of  the  German 
emperors.  "  Bring  me  my  charger,"  said  the  Em- 
peror Rudolf,  when  weary  and  bent  under  the  burden 
of  his  mighty  life ;  and  he  rode  to  Speyer  to  die, 
close  to  the  tomb  which  was  to  contain  his  ashes. 
Where  was  this  tomb  ?  It  was  the  Cathedral,  which 
even  from  a  distance  may  be  seen,  Avith  massive  walls 
and  towers. 

This  structure  Conrad  II.  began  to  build  as  a  burial- 
place  for  himself  and  his  successors,  and  it  was  con- 
tinued by  his  son  Henry  II.,  and  finished  by  his 
grandson  Henry  HI.  After  these  had  been  finally 
laid  to  rest  here,  a  whole  line  of  German  emperors 


THE  PFALZ.  171 

and  empresses  were  buried  in  this  imperial  sepulchre, 
including  Henry  IV.,  who  was  burdened  with  Pope 
Gregory's  excommunication,  Henry  V.,  Philip  of 
Swabia,  Rudolf  of  Hapsburg,  the  false  emperor  Adolf 
of  Nassau,  and  Albert  I.  of  Austria,  the  Empress 
Gisela,  wife  of  Conrad  II.,  Bertha,  wife  ot  Henry 
IV.,  and  Barbarossa's  wife  and  daughter,  Beatrix  and 
Agnes.  So  the  solemn  honor  of  being  the  burial- 
place  of  emperors  was  added  to  the  glory  which  the 
town  had  already  gained  from  its  populous  and  re- 
nowned character ;  and  it  Avas  not  desecrated  by  any 
strange  hand  for  upwards  of  six  centuries. 

The  old  imperial  city  fell  a  victim  to  the  conse- 
quences of  the  disasters  of  the  year  1689,  a  year 
which  set  its  brand  so  pitilessly  on  all  the  districts  of 
the  beautiful  Pfalz.  It  had  suffered  severely  in  the 
Thirty  Years'  War,  but  through  all  its  vicissitudes 
its  existence  was  preserved,  and  even  the  wild- 
ness  of  those  times  retained  some  slight  remnant 
of  veneration  for  the  royal  tomb  and  for  the  sacred 
imperial  name.  It  was  reserved  for  the  marauding 
hosts  of  "  His  Most  Christian  Majesty "  to  efface 
even  this  remnant,  and  to  cover  themselves  with 
that  shame  from  which  the  serf  and  the  Swede  had 
shrunk. 

It  was  the  soldiers  of  the  Great  King  who,  under 
the  leadership  of  Louvois,  Montclar  and  Melac,  broke 
open  the  consecrated  graves  in  the  Cathedral  of 
Speyer,   and   there,   before    all   the   people,   amused 


172  THE  RHINE. 

themselves  by  playing  bowls  with  the  heads  of  the 
German  emperors. 

Not  content  with  this,  they  then  set  fire  to  Speyer 
at  every  point.  They  seemed  to  wish,  indeed,  to 
substitute  another  and  a  still  larger  sepulchre  for 
those  they  had  laid  waste,  and  to  convert  the  city 
itself  into  a  grave  and  the  country  round  it  into  a 
desert.  One  stone  was  not  left  upon  another.  The 
Cathedral  alone  withstood  their  devastating  rage,  and 
although  they  tore  the  ornaments  from  the  walls,  the 
walls  themselves  remained  firm. 

The  French  Revolution  brought  fresh  w^oe.  The 
soldiers  of  the  Republic  used  the  consecrated  building 
as  a  magazine  in  which  was  stored  all  the  necessary 
supplies  which  the  war  incessantly  consumed ;  and  in 
the  place  where  the  organ  had  pealed  forth  solemn 
Te  Deiims  the  "  Marseillaise  "  was  roared  from  savage 
throats.  Indeed,  at  one  time  the  whole  of  the  mate- 
rial of  the  magnificent  temple  was  about  to  be  sold  by 
auction  for  a  few  thousand  francs ! 

We  are  often  amazed  when  we  hear  how  at  times 
the  greatest  and  noblest  lives  have  hung  upon  a 
thread,  and  we  shudder  at  the  very  thought  of  what 
would  have  been  the  consequence  of  so  irreparable  a 
loss ;  so  it  is  here,  as  we  gaze  at  this  wonderful 
work,  the  destruction  of  which  w^ould  have  been  an 
irretrievable  loss  to  German  Art.  To  have  possessed 
the  Cathedral  of  Speyer,  and,  after  preserving  it 
through  all  the  storms  of  history,  to  have  lost  it  for  a 


THE  PFALZ.  173 

despicable  sum  of  money,  the  value  of  the  mere 
stones  and  bricks,  would  have  been  an  enduring 
sorrow  and  disgrace  for  the  German  nation. 

The  merit  of  restoring  the  Cathedral  to  its  present 
splendor  is  undoubtedly  due  to  the  Bavarian  kings, 
and  especially  to  Louis  I.,  who  combined  all  the  arts 
in  order  to  make  the  restoration  as  brilliant  as  pos- 
sible. 

The  huge  size  of  the  building  is  not  realized  from 
without.  When  standing  before  the  principal  en- 
trance, those  portions  which  lie  behind  are  hidden 
from  view,  and  on  every  side  are  seen  fresh  traces  of 
modern  work.  This  may  at  first  have  a  somewhat 
disturbing  effect,  for  age  and  dignity  are  almost  in- 
separable ideas,  and  the  subdued  weather-stained 
coloring  is  always  associated  with  the  thought  of  the 
great  well-known  cathedrals  of  the  world. 

The  fagade  has  three  portals.  Over  the  middle  one 
is  the  imperial  double-eagle  ;  over  the  side-entrances 
the  lion  of  the  Palatinate.  The  rose-window  above 
has  a  gold  ground,  on  which  is  the  head  of  the 
Saviour,  crowned  with  thorns.  The  interior  (which 
is  adorned  with  Schraudolph's  beautiful  frescoes)  pre- 
sents the  idea  of  the  light  additions  of  modern  work, 
besides  conveying  an  impression  of  power  to  the 
whole  style  of  the  building  Avith  its  fine  propor- 
tions. 

We  have,  perhaps,  not  clearly  expressed  what  we 
mean,  for  nothing  is  farther  from  our  thoughts  than 


174  THE  EHINE. 

a  wish  to  imply  that  its  architectural  oeauties  are  not 
of  a  very  high  order.  It  is,  however,  not  quite  easy 
to  state  exactly  the  idea  we  would  convey.  A  visitor 
we  met  once  in  the  Cathedral  indicated  our  impression 
in  one  Avord,  better  than  any  long  explanation  could 
have  done.  Looking  round  on  walls  and  ceiling,  he 
said  :  '^  The  Cathedral  of  Speyer  pleases  me  better 
than  any  other  in  the  world — better  than  Strasburg, 
Milan  or  Cologne."  "  Indeed  !"  was  our  astonished 
rejoinder ;  "  and  pray  what  gives  it  such  decided 
pre-eminence  in  your  eyes  f "  ^'  Oh  !  it  is  so  neat  5 
it  is  the  neatest  cathedral  in  the  world." 

We  descend  to  the  dark  crypt,  and  after  carefully 
inspecting  it  come  up  again  to  the  light,  and  pass 
through  all  the  smaller  chapels.  The  last  of  these  is 
dedicated  to  St.  Afra,  and  here  let  us  stop  for  a  mo- 
ment. This  is  the  place  where  the  body  of  the  Em- 
peror Henry  IV.  was  laid  when  he  died  under  the 
ban  of  excommunication,  and  the  priests  refused  to 
loAver  him  into  the  grave  of  his  ancestors.  The 
coffin  of  the  man  who  once  begged  for  mercy  in  the 
Castle  of  Canossa  lay  unburied  for  five  years  before 
the  resting-place  of  his  fathei's.  The  fate  of  his  body 
in  death  resembled  that  which  it  had  experienced  in 
life. 

Such  are  the  invisible  shadows  of  the  olden  time 
which  fall  upon  these  lofty  sacred  walls  when  on  the 
holy  Sabbath  the  choristers  pass  between  them  with 
tapers  and  fragrant  incense.     No  brilliant  colors  ever 


THE  PFALZ.  175 

have  erased  or  ever  can  erase  those  shadows ;  they 
are  the  gloomy  inheritance  of  these  places.  Henry 
IV.  at  Canossa  is  an  eternal  grief  in  the  remem- 
brances of  the  German  nation,  the  immovable  shadow 
which  hangs  over  the  old  Empire  at  Speyer. 

In  1813  Napoleon  had  concentrated  all  his  forces 
at  Leipsic  to  overwhelm  the  allied  powers.  Then 
Speyer  was  deserted,  except  for  its  women  and  chil- 
dren and  a  few  old  men ;  for  the  people  of  Speyer 
were  loyal,  and  none  who  were  able  to  bear  arms 
stayed  at  home. 

All  was  quiet  at  the  ferry,  for  the  hour  was  late, 
and  the  old  ferryman  was  dozing  over  his  oars  when 
he  heard  a  loud  call  from  the  other  side  of  the  river 
where  the  city  lay.  He  quickly  rowed  across,  and  as 
his  boat  touched  the  landing  a  tall  figure  stepped 
silently  into  it.  This  person  was  followed  by  others, 
who,  emerging  from  the  shadow  of  the  Cathedral, 
came  silently  down  the  street,  their  military  cloaks 
muffling  their  faces. 

When  the  last  passenger  had  embarked  the  ferry- 
man pushed  the  boat  from  the  shore,  but  before  he 
could  begin  to  row  he  felt  that  the  boat  was  moving 
swiftly  through  the  water,  apparently  by  itself.  Shiv- 
ering with  fright,  the  boatman  dropped  his  oars  and 
began  crossing  himself,  feeling  sure  that  the  boat  was 
propelled  by  some  supernatural  power. 

Soon  they  reached  the  opposite  landing,  and  the 
tall  figures  stepped  ashore,  revealing,  as  they  did  so, 


176  THE  KHINE. 

a  glitter  of  armor  and  swords.  The  last  passenger, 
telling  the  boatman  that  if  he  watched  for  their  re- 
turn he  should  have  double  fare,  stepped  swiftlj  after 
his  comrades,  and  they  were  all  swallowed  up  by  the 
darkness. 

Three  days  passed,  and  the  old  ferryman  looked  in 
vain  for  the  return  of  his  mysterious  passengers ; 
but  at  midnight  on  the  third  day  they  again  ap- 
peared, and  were  rowed  silently  back  to  Speyer. 
Each  man  as  he  stepped  out  of  the  boat  dropped  a 
coin  into  the  ferryman's  outstretched  palm,  then  dis- 
appeared among  the  Cathedral  shadows. 

The  old  boatman  marvelled  much  who  these 
strangers  could  be,  and  the  next  day  he  marvelled 
more  when  he  found  that,  instead  of  the  usual  penny, 
each  of  his  midnight  passengers  had  given  him  a 
golden  coin,  and  on  each  coin  was  stamped  a  different 
effigy  and  a  different  date. 

He  took  the  coins  to  the  priest,  who  examined 
them  carefully,  and  declared  that  they  bore  the  effi- 
gies and  dates  of  the  emperors  lying  buried  in  the 
Cathedral  of  Speyer. 

On  the  morrow  came  tidings  of  the  defeat  of  the 
French  at  the  terrible  three  days'  battle  of  Leipsic. 
Then  the  boatman  knew  that  the  old  legend  was 
true,  and  that  the  German  emperors  had  risen  from 
their  tombs,  and  had  gone  forth  to  battle,  to  deliver 
the  beloved  fatherland  in  its  hour  of  need. 


HEIDELBERG.  177 


CHAPTER    XIV. 


HEIDELBERG. 


There  is  an  idecal  among  places  as  well  as  among 
persons,  and  favored  forms  exist  which  are  beloved 
of  all ;  among  these,  few  will  deny  that  Heidelberg 
may  claim  a  place.  It  stands  bright  and  clear  along 
the  river-side  ;  the  mountains  which  suri'ound  it  have 
shadows  of  a  delicate  blue  tint,  and  on  every  side  are 
running  springs,  balmy  air  and  happy  human  faces. 
This  characteristic,  which  is  constantly  interwoven 
with  intellectual  work  and  cheerful  enjoyment,  is 
now  so  closely  bound  up  with  the  name  of  the  town 
that  we  can  scarcely  realize  through  what  shame  and 
sorrow  it  passed  before  such  days  dawned  upon  it. 

The  heights  above  the  Neckar  were  fortified  as  far 
back  as  the  time  of  the  Romans.  On  them  stood  the 
citadel  which  the  Bishop  of  Worms  built.  It  con- 
sisted of  rude  solitary  towers,  which  were  given  in 
fee  first  to  one  noble  and  then  to  another,  till  at  last 
Conrad  founded  the  little  town,  the  city  of  the  Counts- 
Palatine  of  the  Rhine.  Its  beginnings  were  tedious 
and  difficult ;  all  the  elements  conspired  against  it, 
and  yet  its  vitality  was  indestructible.  It  rose  with 
fresh  glory  out  of  the  ashes  to  which  it  was  reduced, 
Vol.  I.— 12 


178  THE  EHINE. 

out  of  the  flood  by  which  it  was  covered,  and 
strengthened  itself  with  those  weapons  which  must 
ultimately  prevail,  namely,  the  weapons  of  intellect- 
ual power. 

The  University  of  Heidelberg,  which  was  founded 
in  1386  by  the  Count-Palatine  Ruprecht,  is  reckoned 
one  of  the  earliest  in  Germany.  The  effect  of  its 
establishment  was  not  long  in  giving  a  peculiar  char- 
acter to  the  whole  town.  No  longer  was  its  chief 
source  of  pride  the  splendor  of  a  royal  court,  or  the 
unapproachable  beauty  of  its  environs,  but  it  raised 
its  head  in  the  full  consciousness  of  intellectual 
superiority  ;  it  became  a  Minerva  among  the  cities 
which  stand  in  the  broad  plain  on  both  sides  of  the 
Rhine.  In  its  heart  there  stirred  the  great  idea 
which  was  later  to  become  a  familiar  watchword, 
"  Knowledge  is  power  !" 

And,  indeed,  a  powerful  and  joyful  period  com- 
menced ;  the  Prince-Palatine  Frederick  had  vic- 
toriously prevailed  over  all  his  opponents,  the  noblest 
of  guests  were  received  in  the  great  castle,  the 
noblest  men  of  the  time  studied  at  the  University ; 
and  renown,  wealth,  beauty,  pleasure,  all  united  to 
adorn  the  life  of  the  place.  Heidelberg  became  the 
pearl  of  German  cities,  and  stood  shining  beneath 
the  banner  of  free  thought. 

A  little  later  and  all  changed  once  more.  The 
same  banner  which  had  been  the  emblem  of  peace  and 
progress  became  the  standard  of  war — a  war  which 


Zbc  QonvU^av^,  IbeiDelbero  Castle. 


HEIDELBERG.  179 

was  contested  for  thirty  years,  and  which  seemed  as 
if,  at  any  cost,  it  would  wrest  the  town  from  the  hands 
of  the  Germans. 

Another  period  began.  Minds  were  divided,  the 
hosts  stood  opposed  one  to  another,  and  the  greatest 
and  most  horrible  war  which  the  world  has  ever  seen 
broke  forth.  The  prosperity  and  peace  of  the  city 
declined.  The  first  leader  that  appeared  before  the 
walls  was  the  gloomy  Tilly,  a 'monk  in  soldier  garb. 
He  invariably  sent  his  messengers  into  each  town  that 
he  approached  and  called  on  the  people  to  surrender, 
giving  them  only  the  alternative  of  fire  or  sword. 
Heidelberg  also  received  such  a  warning.  It  was  be- 
leaguered, stormed  and  burnt ;  but  the  literary  treas- 
ures, the  splendid  library  of  the  Palatinate,  was  pre- 
sented by  Tilly  and  the  Prince-Palatine  Max  to  the 
Holy  Father,  who  carried  away  these  pearls  of  Ger- 
man intellect  to  the  Vatican.  About  one-third  of  this 
collection  was  returned  to  Heidelberg  in  the  early 
part  of  this  century.  The  library  now  contains 
nearly  five  hundred  thousand  books,  manuscripts  and 
ancient  documents — but  that  is  only  a  small  portion 
of  the  treasures  that  were  carried  away  to  Rome  and 
are  still  there. 

After  Tilly  came  the  Swedes,  and  after  the  Swedes 
the  Imperialists,  each  in  their  turn  working  further 
destruction  to  the  town  and  its  inhabitants  ;  fire  and 
sword  were  the  watchwords  of  those  days. 

But  the  worst  of  all  the  sorrow  that  passed  over 


180  THE  EHINE. 

the  town  came  from  the  hand  of  Louis  XIV.,  who 
not  only  conquered  and  laid  waste  the  districts  of  the 
Rhine,  but  also  disgraced  them.  The  castle  was  de- 
stroyed, the  tombs  of  princes  were  defiled,  and  the 
inhabitants  were  filled  Avith  despair.  It  required 
many  years  to  efface  these  misfortunes,  and  the 
following  century  passed  silently  and  wearily  at 
Heidelberg. 

Many  calamities  still  befell  the  town,  but  it  was  like 
a  man  who  having  gone  through  the  heaviest  and 
most  indescribable  sorrows  bears  patiently  whatever 
else  may  come.  Its  prosperity,  its  glory  were  broken 
down  ;  it  Avas  no  longer  looked  on  as  a  prize  for  the 
ambition  of  war,  and  no  longer  a  fitting  stage  for  the 
mailed  foot  of  History. 

It  was  in  the  beginning  of  our  own  times  that  the 
town  first  woke  out  of  the  deep  swoon  of  exhaustion 
into  which  it  had  sunk,  and  its  features  acquired  a 
new  living  charm.  The  power  by  which  it  was  ren- 
ovated was  again  the  power  of  knowledge.  "  And 
new  life  blossoms  out  of  the  ruins."  If  ever  this  con- 
soling creed  of  history  were  true  it  was  fulfilled  here  ; 
this  same  town  which  had  seen  all  the  abomination 
of  desolation  became  a  plantation  whose  creative 
blessings  spread  all  over  Europe.  The  greatest 
achievements  of  science  had  their  cradle  here.  The 
greatest  names  of  science  found  here  their  home.  In 
this  way  there  reappeared  in  the  physiognomy  of 
the  inhabitants  that  bright  cheerful  character  which 


HEIDELBERG.  181 

influences  our  first  impression  as  we  now  enter  its 
gates. 

The  town  of  to-day  smiles  at  us  like  a  man  who 
has  never  known  a  sorrowful  hour ;  but  we  know 
through  what  anguish  these  walls  have  passed.  Earth 
and  history  have  their  martyrs,  as  well  as  Heaven, 
and  Heidelberg  stands  among  these  silent  sufferers. 

We  rarely  analyze  that  mysterious  something 
which  constitutes  the  individuality  of  a  town,  or  ask 
ourselves  what  it  is  that  particularly  attracts  us  to 
it.  Heidelberg  possesses  nothing  of  what  are  called 
"  sights."  The  number  of  its  inhabitants  is  moder- 
ate, and  their  manner  of  life  simple  and  devoid  of 
distracting  pleasures ;  but  the  deserted  castle  with  its 
ruins  attracts  us  more  than  a  thousand  palaces  with 
all  their  treasures. 

We  cannot  leave  this  labyrinth  where  the  paths 
are  full  of  violets  and  every  wall  has  some  great  as- 
sociations. In  the  fragrant  woods  which  surround  it 
the  sun  flecks  the  intricate  paths  with  spots  of  light. 
We  cannot  tear  ourselves  away  from  the  fragrance 
and  the  coolness  of  these  woods,  and  from  the  entic- 
ing secrets  chirped  to  us  from  every  bough.  In  the 
cool  shade  there  lies  a  pool,  where  the  murmuring 
streamlets  rest  awhile  before  they  run  down  towards 
the  valley.  The  place  is  called  Wolfsbrunnen  (the 
wolf's  well),  because  it  was  here  that  a  fortune-teller 
named  Jetta,  who  lived  near  this  place,  was  torn  to 
pieces  by  a  wolf.     There  lies  the  Devil's  Hole,  and 


182  THE  EHINE. 

yonder  the  King's  Chair,  and  there,  where  the 
wood  opens,  we  look  down  on  the  straggling  wonder- 
ful ruins. 

We  leave  the  green  foliage  and  return  to  the  town 
with  its  cheerful  life,  where  the  glory  of  intellectual 
pre-eminence  is  found  combined  with  happy  careless 
youth.  We  ask  again,  who  can  tear  himself  away 
from  all  these  attractions  ? 

Now  we  will  ascend  leisurely  to  the  castle,  for  that 
is  always  the  first  object  to  which  a  stranger  is  at- 
tracted. How  many  times  have  pen  and  pencil 
essayed  to  describe  this  pearl  of  beauty  !  How  many 
thoughts  full  of  poetry  have  awakened  at  the  sight — 
thoughts  which  have  never  found  utterance,  but  have 
flashed  through  the  soul  as  a  falling  star  rushes 
through  the  vaults  of  heaven  !  Thousands  have 
stood  here,  and  still  the  old  charm  works  afresh  for 
each  one.  The  original  power  of  these  walls  has  long 
ago  been  shattered,  but  the  power  it  exercises  over 
the  minds  of  men  has  constantly  increased,  and  no 
destroyer  has  been  able  to  subdue  it. 

The  Castle  of  Heidelberg,  as  is  weU  kno^vn,  was 
not  the  work  of  one  hand  nor  of  one  period,  but  is  a 
complete  square  of  palaces,  in  which  the  ideas  of  a 
century  and  the  supremacy  of  long  generations  are 
embodied.  It  was  a  little  town  in  itself,  with  cas- 
tles and  towers,  with  galleries  and  gardens,  built  as 
a  counterpart  of  the  old  palaces  of  the'  Roman  Em- 
pire. 


HEIDELBEEG.  183 

Imperial  hands  have  been  busy  here  also,  and  the 
imperial  eagle  stood  above  the  portal ;  but  the  em- 
perors Avere  none  of  them  of  that  effeminate  yet  sav- 
age type  which  we  have  seen  in  Nero  and  Galba, 
Heliogabalus  and  Caracalla — they  were  men  of  iron 
frames  and  harsh  names.  The  Emperor  Ruprecht 
built  the  wing  which  first  confronts  us  as  Ave  approach 
the  court-yard  by  way  of  the  bridge  and  gateway. 
The  building  which  is  now  named  after  him  is  by  no 
means  the  oldest  part  of  the  castle.  This  goes  back 
to  the  time  of  Rudolph,  having  been  completed  a 
century  before,  and  within  its  ruins  lie  the  oldest 
and  gloomiest  legends. 

We  go  farther,  and  reach  a  corridor  where  the  well 
of  the  castle  is  ;  the  four  syenite  pillars  near  it  are  a 
legacy  of  the  Empire,  having  once  stood  at  Ingel- 
heim,  in  the  territory  of  Charlemagne.  They  Avere 
brought  to  Heidelberg  by  Count-Palatine  Ludwig. 

Every  one  of  the  palaces  which  Ave  pass  has  its  own 
history,  its  OAvn  beauty,  its  own  legends ;  the  most 
beautiful  of  them  all  is  that  which  is  named  after 
Otto  Heinrich,  built  in  1556.  Here  Ave  stand  before 
one  of  the  finest  masterpieces  which  the  early  Renais- 
sance produced.  This  also  bears  the  scars  of  that 
frightful  period  of  war,  and  has  become  a  ruin  ;  but 
Avhat  irresistible  beauty  still  speaks  to  us  out  of  the 
dumb  lifeless  limbs  !  Truly  a  thousand  palaces  of  the 
present  day  could  not  outweigh  this  one — this  torso 
of  a  palace ! 


184  THE  RHINE. 

It  has  been  said  that  Michael  Angelo  designed  it, 
and  whether  or  not  this  supposition  has  any  histori- 
cal foundation,  the  fact  that  it  ever  existed  is  the 
most  perfect  testimony  to  the  beauty  of  the  work. 
It  Avas  built  at  a  period  when  the  slumbering  powers 
of  antiquity  were  again  slowly  awaking  and  pene- 
trating every  artistic  production  ;  the  Greek  classics 
were  held  next  in  esteem  to  the  Bible,  and  next  to 
the  youthful  energy  of  the  Reformation  the  inde- 
structible beauty  of  the  antique  seemed  part  of  the 
very  condition  of  the  people.  Princes  began  to  feel 
like  the  Olympians,  and  made  the  Olympians  the 
companions  of  their  homes.  This  train  of  thought, 
this  tendency  of  the  time,  is  to  a  certain  extent  im- 
pressed on  the  fagade  of  this  splendid  palace,  which  is 
like  a  stone  mirror  of  those  glorious  days.  In  the 
open  niches  stand  the  figures  of  Hercules  and  Sam- 
son, Joshua  and  David,  the  representatives  of  strength 
and  courage — the  foundations  on  which  a  kingly 
house  ought  to  stand.  On  the  one  side  the  Christian 
virtues,  on  the  other  the  enthroned  and  newly-revived 
gods,  Jupiter  and  Saturn,  Mars  and  Venus.  Motion- 
less and  intrepidly  these  figures  succumbed  to  their 
fate  in  those  frightful  days  of  war.  Sometimes  the 
hand  of  a  hero,  sometimes  the  crown  of  a  king  or 
the  limbs  of  a  goddess  fell  to  the  ground.  They 
were  but  of  stone  5  but  there  is  a  soid  in  these  shat- 
tered stones  which  makes  us  feel  even  now  the  pain 
of  their  wounds. 


HEIDELBERG.  185 

Was  all  this  glory  then  created  for  destruction  ? 
Who  ^vere  the  masters  that  built  these  wondrous 
walls  f  Their  very  names  are  unknown,  and  no  man 
any  longer  calls  these  splendors  his  OAvn.  The  wind 
rustles  through  the  open  doorways,  the  swallow 
brushes  the  Avindow-frames  with  its  slender  wings, 
and  the  stars  look  down  from  above  into  the  roofless 
chambers. 

The  existence  which  these  walls  now  lead  is  mourn- 
fully silent ;  passionless  and  actionless,  everything 
here  speaks  only  of  the  past.  The  men  of  the  pres- 
ent day  pass  by  in  hundreds  Avithout  understanding 
anything  of  its  meaning.  Only  now  and  then  some 
one  comes  whose  imagination  carries  him  to  the  past, 
and  who  feels  some  sympathy  and  veneration  for  Avhat 
has  gone  before.  Under  the  glance  of  such  a  one 
the  old  red  walls  spring  once  more  into  life ;  for  him 
the  scenes  of  bygone  ages  are  mysteriously  re-enacted. 
He  hears  the  mailed  footstep  of  princes  re-echo 
through  the  halls,  and  the  ringing  laugh  of  lovely 
women  once  more  enlivening  these  silent  chambers. 
Could  he,  however,  awake  all  the  forms  and  bring  to 
light  all  those  whose  names  are  associated  with  these 
walls,  the  array  would  indeed  be  endless. 

Every  corner  is  full  of  images,  from  that  of  the 
regal  figure  on  the  battlements  to  that  of  the  dwarf 
who  crouches  in  the  cellar  to  guard  the  great  cask. 
The  latter  is  oxie  of  the  wonders  of  Heidelberg  which 
no  visitor  omits  seeing,  and  which  many  gaze  on  with 


186  THE  RHINE. 

more  enthusiasm  than  on  the  shattered  splendor  of 
kmgs.  It  is  said  to  be  capable  of  containing  two 
hundred  and  thirty-six  thousand  bottles  ;  but  the  cask 
is  empty,  and  is  only  a  remnant  of  that  time  Avhen 
princes  prided  themselves  on  the  size  of  their  be- 
longings, and  had  lost  that  finer  and  more  spiritual 
charm  of  possession  which  had  departed  from  them. 

The  original  cask  was  built  in  1591.  When  it  fell 
to  pieces  in  1662  it  was  replaced  by  another;  that 
lasted  until  1728,  and  the  present  tun  was  erected  by 
the  Elector  Charles- PhiHp  in  1751. 

The  dwarf  Perkio,  the  court -jester  of  the  Elector 
Charles  Philip,  was  very  small  in  stature,  but  a  verit- 
able giant  where  drinking  was  concerned.  The  cas- 
tle and  his  master's  wealth  were  as  nothing  to  him  in 
comparison  to  the  mighty  Heidelberg  tun.  He  was 
so  in  love  with  it — and  what  it  contained — that  he 
finally  refused  to  leave  the  vault  where  it  was  kept. 
He  spent  all  his  time  beside  it,  drawing  and  drinking 
beaker  after  beaker  of  its  contents. 

For  fifteen  years  he  sat  beside  his  beloved  tun, 
jealously  guarding  the  wine  which  he  alone  had  the 
privilege  of  drinking.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he 
discovered,  to  his  consternation,  that  he  had  emptied 
the  cask ;  not  a  drop  of  wine  was  left  within  its 
mighty  bulk !  Then,  proudly  comparing  himself  to 
David,  and  declaring  that  he  had  conquered  a  Go- 
liath, and  feeling — the  cask  being  empty — that  life 
was  no  longer  worth  living,  he  laid  down  beside  it 


HEIDELBERG.  187 

and  quietly  passed  away,  requesting  that  he  might  be 
buried  directly  beneath  the  faucet  that  he  had  turned 
so  diligently,  and  that  his  statue  might  be  placed 
where  he  was  wont  to  sit. 

Of  all  occupations  and  amusements  none  was  want- 
ing in  Heidelberg.  Lions'  dens,  orange  gardens, 
brilliant  feasts  abounded,  to  say  nothing  of  sanguinary 
encounters.  Everything !  and  of  all  there  remains 
now  nothing  !  A  ruin  covered  with  green  ivy  stands 
before  us — it  is  not  the  ruins  of  a  castle,  but  the  ruins 
of  an  epoch. 

Down  below,  at  the  foot  of  the  castle,  the  current 
of  the  gay  student  life  runs  merrily  along  full  of  vi- 
vacity and  brightness.  The  period  when  Heidelberg 
belonged  to  the  Counts-Palatine  of  the  Rhine  has  long 
since  passed  away.  Now  it  belongs  to  the  students, 
and  it  is  not  the  castle  but  the  university  which  is  the 
centre  of  its  glory  and  of  its  importance. 

Heidelberg  now  has  over  a  thousand  students.  In 
1886  the  five  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  founding 
of  the  university  was  celebrated  with  much  ceremony. 

Heidelberg  has  completed  its  mission  in  political 
history  ;  its  place  lies  henceforth  in  the  intellectual 
history  of  Europe.  We  have,  therefore,  only  to  de- 
pict in  a  few  lines  the  joyous,  stirring  description  of 
the  student  city,  as  given  by  an  old  student : 

"  I  can  picture  to  myself,  as  if  it  were  yesterday, 
my  departure  from  home.  The  carefully-counted 
bank-notes  lying  on  the  table  with  the  passport,  the 


188  THE  RHINE. 

good  advice  and  good  wishes  from  relations  and 
friends,  the  long  journey  Avith  its  rapidly-changing 
scenes,  and  the  beating  of  my  heart  when  the  guard 
came  to  the  door  of  the  carriage  and  said,  '  Now, 
gentlemen,  tickets  for  Heidelberg.' 

'^  It  was  not  without  a  feeling  of  veneration  that  I 
entered  this  seat  of  the  Muses.  Even  the  road  from 
the  railway  is  an  interesting  walk  for  a  stranger.  At 
such  a  moment,  however,  as  I  am  describing,  the  mind 
is  a  blank  sheet  on  which  are  swiftly  sketched  the 
first  impressions,  to  be  afterwards  slowly  corrected 
and  completed.  The  Rhine  life  reigns  on  all  sides. 
I  saw  people  who  are  accustomed  to  transact  all  their 
affairs  with  open  doors  ;  girls  with  brisk  step  and 
bright  eyes,  lads  who  rushed  romping  by  ;  noisy  fel- 
lows in  blue  blouses  were  in  every  corner,  and  hack- 
ney-coaches rattled  by,  filled  with  stoutly-shod  stu- 
dents. Now  and  then  a  figure  passed  which  I  felt 
must  be  that  of  a  professor." 

If  we  compare  Heidelberg  with  other  places  in 
South  Germany,  and  especially  with  Munich,  we  are 
astonished  that  two  places  geographically  so  near  to 
one  another  should  in  point  of  culture  be  so  far  re- 
moved 5  in  this  respect  the  distance  between  the  old 
Bavarian  nature  and  that  of  the  Rhenish  Palatinate 
is  three  times  as  great  as  the  actual  distance  between 
the  two  principal  towns. 

When  hiring  a  porter  at  the  railway  station  at 
Heidelberg  it  would  seem  that  all  of  them  are  sesthet- 


HEIDELBERG.  189 

icallj  inclined,  and  that  each  of  them  liad  been  to  the 
university.  They  speak  of  Bunsen  and  of  the  late 
Vaugerow  as  if  they  were  their  best  friends.  Thus 
there  continually  rises  to  the  surface  an  impression 
of  the  special  character  of  the  town,  which  naturally 
has  its  root  in  university  life.  This  character  is  an- 
nounced not  only  in  the  popidarity  of  the  Heidelberg 
celebrities  and  the  respect  which  even  the  porters 
have  for  "  their  "  professors,  but  also  in  a  thousand 
little  particulars.  It  lies  before  the  shop-windows 
where  colored  caps  and  ribbons  are  exhibited,  it  is 
met  with  in  the  bookseller's  stall,  and  even  in  the 
beer-shops. 

Whatever  happens  to  a  Heidelberg  student,  he 
manages  to  adapt  himself  to  circumstances,  Avhatever 
they  may  be,  or  whatever  they  may  be  called ;  and 
this  characteristic  is  stronger  here  than  in  the  great 
towns  where  the  extent  of  the  foreign  element  ob- 
structs the  natural  development  of  the  students. 
Many,  however,  are  said  to  belong  to  the  student 
class  who  pitch  their  tent  in  the  coffee-house  and 
come  in  contact  with  the  beadle  oftener  than  with  the 
professor,  and  who  spend  even  more  time  on  their 
pet  dogs  than  on  their  own  toilet.  But  there  are 
great  temptations,  even  for  such  as  intend  to  work 
honestly,  for  few  universities  offer  so  enticing  a  field 
for  the  gay  enjoyment  of  life  as  Heidelberg.  The 
true  German  student  life  is  developed  more  thor- 
oughly here  than  elsewhere,  and  the  beautiful  neigh- 


190  THE  RHINE. 

borhood  attracts  excursionists  into  the  open  country  on 
the  bright  summer  days  ;  the  Httle  towns  of  Neckarge- 
mund  and  Neckarsteinach  are  thus  especially  popular. 

Below  on  the  river  lie  swift  boats,  the  wine  sparkles, 
and  the  castles  look  down  from  the  rocks  full  of  mar- 
tial memories  on  many  a  lively  scene.  The  Neckar 
Valley,  though  much  smaller  and  more  unpretending, 
perhaps  shows  the  most  intimate  relationship  to  the 
Rhenish  life  ;  and  the  pulse  which  pervades  that  life 
is  cheerfulness. 

That  yearly  festival  which  is  held  in  the  golden 
autumn  on  the  banks  of  the  Neckar  is  well  known. 
It  is  celebrated  at  the  time  when  the  grapes  are  ripe 
on  the  hillsides,  and  when  every  one  gathers  in  the 
harvest  on  his  own  land  and  from  his  own  vines. 

Mannheim  also  is  a  favorite  walk  for  the  students 
of  Heidelberg,  especially  those  who  like  to  see  the 
ways  of  the  world  as  they  are  represented  on  the 
stage.  When  a  novelty  is  announced  on  the  theatre 
bills,  the  news  of  such  an  event  travels  in  no  time  for 
miles  around,  and  the  curious  come  to  Mannheim  in 
long  caravans  to  see  the  show.  But  the  frivolous 
student  may  also  learn  here  what  is  meant  by  hard 
work,  and  what  is  achieved  by  unremitting  toil ;  for 
it  is  to  the  results  of  work  that  Mannheim  owes  the 
position  which  it  holds  among  German  towns.  It 
was  work  also  which,  within  a  few  centuries,  called 
the  neighboring  town  of  Ludwigshafen  into  exist- 
ence as  if  by  magic. 


Dalle^^  ot  tbe  IReckar  trom  IbeiDclberg. 


HEIDELBERG.  191 

But  who  can  think  of  anything  serious  while  the 
gay-colored  cap  still  covers  the  young  and  thought- 
less head  ?  He  who  would  flee  abroad  must  have 
an  easy  mind ;  the  time  of  care  comes  soon  enough 
of  its  own  accord.  Then  it  is  no  longer  a  question 
of  enjoyment,  but  one  of  toil.  The  sultry  hour  of 
the  examination  comes  nearer  and  nearer ;  that  hour 
when  we  must  pay  toll  on  the  thorny  road  of  knowl- 
edge. We  only  really  go  through  an  examination 
properly  when  we  are  young,  for  it  is  only  then  that 
we  have  the  courage  to  fail  5  later  in  life  we  remark 
that  old  Socrates  was  right  with  his  theory  that  the 
beginning  of  knowledge  was  to  know  that  we  know 
nothing. 

Ah !  in  what  a  condition  we  were  on  the  occasion 
when  we  made  our  first  visit  to  the  examination- 
room.  We  kept  ringing  the  bell,  and  making  our 
landlord's  pretty  daughter  run  about  the  passage 
even  more  than  usual.  As  we  went  out  she  cast  a 
compassionate  look  on  the  victims  adorned  for  the 
sacrifice.  She  well  knew  what  our  humors  signified, 
for  she  had  seen  them  very  often,  and  understood 
Avhat  was  about  to  happen.  Such  were  our  college 
days  at  Heidelberg. 

Heidelberg  itself  is  almost  like  a  blooming  garden, 
but  if  it  is  not  sufficient  to  satisfy  the  ideas  of  some, 
there  is  for  those  who  prefer  the  addition  of  Art  to 
Nature  another  garden  at  Schwetzingen,  the  fame  of 
which  reaches   throughout  Europe.       Of  the  town 


192  THE  RHINE. 

itself  there  is  little  to  be  said ;  it  was  formerly  only 
an  appendage  to  the  summer  palace,  and  is  at  the 
present  time  just  a  little  fussy  official  place,  as  noisy 
and  lively  as  was  once  the  nature  of  the  district  of 
the  Palatinate,  and  yet  as  quiet  as  is  becoming  for  a 
town  of  four  hundred  souls.  It  is  a  curious  fact  that 
of  the  numberless  strangers  who  visit  the  place,  no 
one  asks  for  the  town,  that  being  simply  an  approach 
to  the  castle  and  garden. 

The  view  which  we  have  here  is  not  beautiful  in 
that  free  unconstrained  sense  in  which  nature  presents 
her  loveliest  forms.  Its  value  rests  upon  the  high  de- 
gree of  cultivation  in  its  exact  reproduction  of  what 
was  at  one  period  held  for  beauty.  The  period  of 
which  we  speak  is  embodied  in  the  names  of  the  later 
Bourbons.  The  kings  of  the  Maintenons,  the  Pom- 
padours, and  the  DuBarrys  were  the  patterns  of  royal 
taste  ;  the  castles  of  the  nobles  grew  up  everywhere 
in  the  form  which  prevailed  at  Versailles.  Not  only 
the  dumb  senseless  stone  was  subject  to  this  con- 
straint, but  also  living,  blooming  Nature,  which  vainly 
resisted  the  power  of  human  hands.  Gardens  in  the 
style  of  Louis  XIV.  were  added  to  the  castles,  and 
such  a  garden  do  we  see  here. 

It  covers  an  area  of  nearly  two  hundred  acres. 
On  reaching  the  dazzling  white  wing  of  the  building 
we  look  through  the  arched  gateway  and  see  before 
us  a  flat  surfjice  on  which  not  a  single  mound  relieves 
the  monotonous  level.     The  stiff  geometric  treatment 


HEIDELBEKG.  193 

is  repeated  also  in  the  long  lime  avenues,  and  in  their 
running  fountains  and  gray  statues. 

We  enter  and  Avalk  slowly  onward  along  the  grav- 
elled paths.  All  around  us  we  see  large  flat  floAver- 
beds  with  thousands  of  fragrant  buds  crowded  to- 
gether in  one  heap,  the  whole  having  the  effect  of  a 
variegated  nosegay  on  a  huge  table.  Above  the  water 
in  the  stone  basins  rise  dolphins  and  dragons,  of  damp 
stone  or  dark  metal,  bearing  upon  their  backs  gay 
cupids.  Then  the  path  branches  out  on  both  sides 
on  to  the  turf,  and  thick  avenues  open  right  and  left ; 
the  ivy  clings  round  those  trees  which  have  been  al- 
lowed to  grow  wild. 

There  is  something  almost  mysterious  and  world- 
forgotten  in  these  deep  shadows.  The  stone  figures 
which  we  meet  with  share  this  characteristic,  and 
acquire  a  mystical  significance.  Old  Pan  looks  down 
from  a  high  rock,  the  water  drips  and  trickles  in  the 
stony  grotto,  the  fir  boughs  whisper  to  each  other — 
it  seems  almost  as  if  we  might  hear  the  sound  of  the 
instrument  which  the  god  holds  to  his  lips,  or  see  the 
forms  which  the  music  from  his  pipe  attracts,  or  meet 
a  nymph  rising  from  her  bath  and  looping  together 
the  tresses  of  her  streaming  hair.  Such  images  are 
inexhaustible  on  our  way  through  the  park  and  gar- 
den. We  meet  with  temples  and  "  ruins,"  artistic 
bridges  and  lakes. 

In  all  this  place  there  seems  to  be  but  one  thing 
wanting,  namely,  the  human  beings  who  once  took 
Vol.  I. —13 


194  THE  RHINE. 

pleasure  in  these  splendors.  All  these  stone  me- 
morials, these  flowers,  this  turf,  look  as  though  they 
stood  upon  a  huge  immeasurable  grave,  beneath 
which  sleeps  a  vanished  century. 


THE  BERGSTRASSE  AND  ODENWALD.  195 


CHAPTER    XV. 

THE    BERGSTRASSE    AND    THE    ODENWALD. 

The  country  between  Heidelberg  and  Darmstadt 
is  covered  for  miles  Avith  thick  forest.  Beneath  the 
lofty  branches  the  lurking  deer  finds  shelter,  and 
within  its  rocky  walls  many  olden  glories  have  de- 
cayed. The  objects  in  the  landscape  here  do  not 
raise  before  us  anything  of  historic  importance,  nor 
as  we  gaze  upon  them  can  we  picture  to  ourselves 
that  Ave  stand  before  a  theatre  of  stirring  deeds — it 
is  simply  a  national  pleasure-place. 

On  our  road  a  slightly-built  lad  passes  us,  and 
gives  us  a  pleasant  greeting ;  the  girls  who  sit  at  the 
cottage-doors  we  notice  wear  black  coifs  over  their 
fair  plaits,  and  unconsciously  the  old  song  rings  in 
our  ears : 

"There  stands  a  tree  in  the  Odenwald 
With  many  a  bough  so  green, 
'Neath  which  my  own  true  love  and  I 
A  thousand  joys  have  seen." 

Yes,  we  are  wandering  through  the  Odenwald,  a 
district  covering  more  than  forty  miles,  which  is 
bounded  on  the  south  by  the  Neckar,  and  descends 
on  the  west  in   a  long,  sharply-defined  line  towards 


196  THE  EHINE. 

the  broad  plain  of  the  Rhine.  In  primitive  times, 
the  great  high-road  called  Platea  Montana  passed 
through  here,  and  we  still  find  the  lovely  green  tract 
Avhich  is  now  known  as  the  Bergstrasse  or  mountain- 
road. 

Right  and  left  of  us  appear  charming  little  towns 
and  snug  villages  full  of  original  architecture.  The 
air  is  soft  and  the  soil  fruitful ;  but,  besides  this 
abundance  of  the  earth  and  the  tranquillity  of  the 
people,  there  remains  something  which  is  indescrib- 
able, namely,  the  charm  of  poetry.  Even  the  rail- 
way, Avhich  rushes  close  to  the  slope  of  the  wood,  has 
not  been  able  quite  to  destroy  the  charm.  It  is  still 
the  old  Odenwald  with  its  green  branches,  its  power- 
ful forms,  and  its  sweet  melancholy  song. 

Such  being  the  state  of  this  beautiful  tract  of 
country,  we  care  but  little  whether  the  place  took  its 
name  originally  from  the  silent  solitude  {Oede)  which 
in  olden  times  must  have  hung  over  these  woods,  or 
whether  the  memory  of  old  Odin  is  preserved  in  its 
title.  We  only  now  seek  and  are  satisfied  with  en- 
joying the  dusky  verdure  offered  by  the  boughs,  and 
the  beauty  which  smiles  upon  us  from  the  hills. 

The  most  celebrated  among  the  latter  is  that  one 
the  summit  of  which  bears  the  somewhat  curious 
name  of  Melibocus,  the  highest  point  of  the  Berg- 
strasse. The  way  to  it  leads  through  lofty  beech 
woods,  on  emerging  from  which  we  see  a  great  tower 
with  open  battlements,  and  under  its  shadow  we  gaze 


THE  BERGSTKASSE  AND  ODENWALD.         197 

over  a  broad  expense  of  country  unfolding  itself  be- 
fore our  eyes.  At  our  feet  hamlets  and  villages  lie 
among  rustling  woods. 

Among  them  are  Alsbach,  the  little  town  of  Zwin- 
genberg,  and  many  others.  Beyond  these  come 
wooded  hills,  the  serene  Taunus  and  the  rugged 
Spessart,  which  stretch  far  away  in  pleasant  undu- 
lating forms.  The  Schwarzwald  are  darkly  indi- 
cated in  the  distance,  and  farther  away  still  are  the 
blue  Vosges  almost  hidden  in  the  haze  of  the  horizon. 
Between  them  lies  the  broad  plain  of  the  Rhine,  and 
out  of  it  rise  majestically  the  old  cities  with  their 
towers  and  churches  whose  names  are  the  pillars  of 
German  history,  Speyer,  Worms,  and  Mayence  the 
Golden  !  Let  us  rest  here  in  the  green  shade  and 
think  over  the  memories  of  times  long  gone  by,  from 
the  doings  of  the  wild  race  of  the  Chatti  who  once 
dwelt  here  to  the  days  when  the  German  army  passed 
over  the  Vosges  yonder. 

A  picturesque  road  leads  from  Melibocus  to  the 
Felsberg ;  a  lonely  forester's  house  opens  its  hos- 
pitable doors  to  us,  and  when  we  have  taken  a  short 
rest  we  make  our  way  to  the  ^'  Felsenmeer."  Long 
before  the  end  we  seek  is  in  view  the  path  to  it  has 
something  mysterious  and  ghostlike  which  suggests 
the  old  pagan  times.  On  every  side  are  shattered 
rocks  overgrown  with  damp  moss,  and  only  now  and 
then  do  we  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  blue  sky  through 
the  lofty  beech-trees.     Nature  alone  is  dominant  here. 


198  THE  EHINE. 

But  all  at  once  a  huge  square  block  of  stone  lies 
before  us.  This  is  not  the  work  of  Nature,  human 
hands  have  evidently  been  at  work  here  thousands  of 
years  ago ;  though  the  secret  of  the  race  and  period 
to  which  it  belonged  is  not  yet  solved.  We  proceed, 
and  penetrate  still  farther  into  the  forest,  when  our 
steps  are  again  suddenly  arrested  by  a  gigantic  pil- 
lar, almost  grown  into  the  earth.  This  also  must 
have  been  formed  on  the  spot  out  of  the  rock.  The 
open  forest  was  the  workshop  in  which  it  was  fash- 
ioned— but  who  was  its  master,  and  what  was  its 
purpose  ?  Was  it  destined  for  one  of  the  old  pagan 
gods  which  were  so  soon  laid  low  by  Christian  swords ; 
was  it  part  of  a  palace  of  a  Roman  prefect,  or  did 
Charlemagne  have  it  fashioned  for  his  palace  at  In- 
gelheim  ?  Who  can  tell  ?  The  powers  of  those  who 
made  it  were  either  exhausted  in  the  work,  or  they 
were  scared  away  by  new  times  which  brought  other 
riders  and  other  altars.  Be  this  as  it  may,  they  left 
behind  them  the  uncompleted  pillar  in  its  original 
place,  the  forest.  The  luxuriant  foliage  soon  spread 
its  protective  shelter  over  it,  and  time  cast  round  it 
the  veil  of  mystery  till  a  new  race  arose  who  found 
it  out  and  in  vain  attempted  to  solve  the  problem  of 
its  history  as  they  stood  before  the  silent  stone. 

Not  far  frorti  this  is  the  "  Felsenmeer,"  or  Rock 
Sea,  a  huge  plain  in  the  midst  of  the  forest  which 
seems  to  be  strewn  over  Avith  shattered  rock — "frag- 
ments whose  origin  is  not  more  enigmatical  than  their 


THE  BERGSTKASSE  AND  ODENWALD.  199 

appearance  is  remarkable."  How  may  the  spirit  of 
the  people  have  animated  these  places  in  the  Dark 
Ages  when  proud  nobles  lived  up  here  in  their  castles, 
and  the  enslaved  peasants  existed  in  the  villages 
below ! 

The  Odenwald,  like  all  forest  districts,  is  rich  in 
legends,  and  the  groundwork  of  all  these  myths  seems 
to  be  the  noises  and  the  doings  of  imaginary  and  in- 
visible Avild  animals.  Not  far  from  the  Felsberg  itself, 
which  we  have  just  reached,  lies  Schnellert  and  the 
stronghold  of  Rodenstein  ;  at  the  foot  of  the  latter 
there  used  to  stand  a  primitive  farm-house,  and  the 
owner  was  acquainted  with  all  the  dark  secrets  of  the 
mountains  ;  he  told  us  the  tale  of  the  Wild  Huntsman. 

Centuries  ago  the  castle  was  occupied  by  the  Lord 
of  Rodenstein,  a  champion  of  the  German  father- 
land ;  one  who  swore  to  fight  for  his  country  against 
all  foes  and  to  love  it  forever. 

Wishing  to  give  his  whole  life  to  his  country,  he 
refused  to  marry,  and  lived  in  his  castle  quite  alone ; 
so  there  was  no  one  to  mourn  for  him  when  one  day 
he  vanished  and  failed  to  reappear. 

It  was  reported  that  he  had  been  killed  in  battle, 
but  the  peasants  insist  that  he  did  not  die,  but  with- 
drew into  the  vaults  of  the  castle,  only  to  reappear 
when  danger  threatens  his  beloved  fatherland.  They 
declare  that  whenever  a  war  has  broken  out  a  tramp 
of  mailed  steeds  is  heard  in  the  ruins,  and  at  night- 
fall a  shadowy  array,  led  by  the  Lord  of  Rodenstein, 


200  THE  KHINE. 

is  seen  sweeping  across  the  sky  in  the  direction  from 
which  the  danger  comes.  As  peace  is  proclaimed  the 
ghostly  band  returns  to  Rodenstein,  and  re-enters  the 
castle,  singing  a  hymn  of  victory,  there  to  lie  quiet 
until  another  danger  urges  them  forth  to  the  defense 
of  their  country. 

But  the  peasant  has  yet  another  tale.  He  tells  us 
that  the  Lord  of  Rodenstein  and  his  ghostly  band  are 
not  the  only  tenants  of  the  castle.  Deep  down  be- 
low the  walls  there  is  another  sleeper — the  Emperor 
Frederic  Barbarossa.  He  sits  motionless  in  front  of 
a  huge  marble  table,  around  which  his  fiery  beard 
has  twined  itself,  patiently  waiting  for  the  time  when 
his  country  will  have  need  of  him. 

The  Emperor's  slumbers  are  broken  only  once  in 
a  hundred  years,  when  he  bids  his  page  go  up  to  the 
mountain  and  see  if  the  ravens  are  still  circling  over- 
head. 

"  O,  dwarf,  go  up  this  hour 
And  see  if  still  the  ravens 
Are  flying  round  the  tower. 
And  if  the  ancient  ravens 
Still  wheel  above  me  here, 

Then  must  I  sleep  enchanted 
For  many  a  hundred  year." 

The  page  returns  and  reports  that  the  ravens  are 
still  flying,  and  Barbarossa,  sighing  because  the  time 
of  his  release  has  not  yet  come,  sinks  again  into  the 
slumber  which  must  last  another  century. 

But  when  the  red  beard  shall  have  twined  itself 


THE  BEKGSTRASSE  AND  ODENWALD.  201 

for  the  third  time  around  the  marble  table  the  trum- 
pet must  sound,  and  the  Emperor,  rising  from  his  en- 
chanted sleep,  will  hang  his  shield  on  a  withered  pear- 
tree,  which  will  burst  into  bloom  at  his  touch  ;  Avhile 
the  Germans  will  gather  once  more  about  their  old 
Emperor,  and  the  fatherland  Avill  be  free  forevermore ! 

"In  some  dark  day  when  Germany 
Hath  need  of  warriors  such  as  he, 
A  voice  to  tell  of  her  distress 
Shall  pierce  the  mountain's  deep  recess — 
Shall  ring  through  the  dim  vaults  and  scare 
The  spectral  ravens  round  his  chair, 
And  from  his  trance  the  sleeper  wake. 
The  solid  mountain  shall  dispart, 
The  granite  slab  in  splinters  start 
(Responsive  to  those  accents  weird) 
And  loose  the  Kaiser's  shaggy  beard. 
Through  all  the  startled  air  shall  rise 
The  old  Teutonic  battle-cries  ; 
The  horns  of  war,  that  once  could  stir 
The  wild  blood  of  the  Berserker, 
Shall  fling  their  blare  abroad,  and  then 
The  champion  of  his  own  Alraain, 
Shall  Barbarossa  come  again  !" 

The  castle  which  stood  on  the  summit  of  Schnellert 
was  built  in  an  unusual  manner.  It  presented  a 
hexagon,  of  which  each  side  measured  sixty  feet ; 
within  this  came  a  strong  wall,  a  deep  ditch,  and 
another  stone  wall.  But  the  walls  have  all  fallen  to 
pieces  centuries  ago. 

Amongst  the  ruins,  it  is  said,  there  once  dwelt 
three  sisters,  who  were  doomed  to  live  there  by  some 


202  THE  KHINE. 

fatal  enchantment,  and  they  were  guarded  by  a  wild 
huntsman  m  the  form  of  a  black  dog.  They  often 
prayed  for  release ;  and  one  day  the  most  beautiful 
of  them  appeared  to  a  young  acquaintance  and  told 
him  that  she  would  come  to  him  in  the  form  of  a  snake 
and  kiss  him  three  times ;  if  he  remained  brave  and 
steadfast  it  would  remove  the  curse,  and  she  would 
give  him  her  love  and  all  her  wealth.  When  the 
slimy  serpent  appeared  on  the  following  day,  and 
coming  towards  him  darting  her  forked  tongue,  wound 
herself  in  thick  coils  around  his  body,  his  heart  failed 
him,  he  staggered  back,  and  from  his  lips  escaped  the 
cry,  "  Lord,  help  me  !"  The  snake  vanished,  and 
with  it  the  lady's  love  and  her  gold. 

Of  the  other  castles  in  the  neighborhood,  Schon- 
berg  and  Heiligenberg  are  remarkable  in  an  historical 
sense,  but  without  doubt  the  castle  of  Auerbach  is 
the  most  noteworthy.  There  still  remains,  even  in 
the  ruins  of  this  colossal  building,  something  of  that 
mighty  power  which  formerly  held  dominion  here ; 
for  fire  and  sword  have  not  been  able  entirely  to  de- 
stroy these  massive  towers  and  battlements. 

The  origin  of  the  stronghold  takes  us  back  to  the 
time  when  the  Carlovingian  kings  were  its  masters, 
before  it  occurred  to  the  spiritual  power  to  take  pos- 
session of  the  lordly  castle.  The  next  banner  planted 
on  these  walls  was  that  of  the  princely  abbey  of 
Lorsch,  one  of  the  oldest  in  the  whole  empire  ;  then 
came  the  Archbishop  of  Mayence,  the  chancellor  of 


IRecharstetnacb. 


THE  BERGSTRASSE  AND  ODENWALD.  203 

the  empire  and  Prince-Palatine,  and  later  the  lesser 
nobility. 

How  often  the  waves  of  battle  have  surged  against 
these  walls  !  But  the  fortress  held  out  bravely  and 
faithfully,  till  it  surrendered  to  the  treachery  of  the 
mercenaries  of  Louis  XIV.  in  1674.  The  man  who 
reduced  the  noble  castle  to  ruins  was  Marshal  Tur- 
enne,  the  leader  of  that  war  from  whose  wounds  the 
Rhine  has  not  yet  wholly  recovered. 

If  we  descend  from  the  hills  into  the  valley,  we 
soon  find  in  the  place  of  the  lonely  forest  depths 
active,  cheerfiU  movements,  for  the  Rhenish  charac- 
ter even  here  affects  the  disposition  and  the  whole 
nature  of  the  inhabitants.  Every  one  we  converse 
with  gives  us  friendly  and  cheerful  answers,  we  con- 
stantly hear  the  rushing  of  the  mill-stream  and  the 
merry  whirl  of  the  wheel,  and  here  and  there  we 
come  upon  little  houses  leaning  against  the  rock  wall, 
with  the  blue  smoke  rising  from  their  chimneys 
straight  into  the  air. 

At  the  mouth  of  the  Stettbacher  Valley,  imme- 
diately under  the  Heiligenberg,  lies  the  smiling  little 
village  of  Jungenheim,  the  name  of  which  is  widely 
known,  even  as  far  as  the  Ural  and  the  Volga,  for 
the  cheerful  little  village  in  the  Odenwald  was  a 
favorite  resort  of  the  mighty  Czar.  This  imperial 
patronage  attracted  many  strangers  to  the  village, 
and  now  handsome  villas  have  sprung  up  among  the 
thick  beechwood,  so  that  Jungenheim  has  rapidly  be- 


204  THE  RHINE. 

come  a  favorite  and  fashionable  resort.  The  pleasant 
habits  of  the  people  in  showing  kindness  to  strangers 
considerably  helps  to  attain  this  end. 

Hitherto  Odenwald  has  offered  us  little  except 
idyllic  pictures,  though  we  must  not  forget  the  attrac- 
tive little  towns  which  are  situated  along  the  Berg- 
strasse.  They,  indeed,  ai-e  almost  idyls  themselves — 
which  is  no  detraction  from  their  merits.  The  first 
we  meet  with  on  the  road  from  Heidelberg  to  Darm- 
stadt is  the  old  town  of  Ladenburg,  the  Liipodunum 
of  the  Romans,  who  established  here  one  of  the  most 
important  of  their  settlements  on  the  Upper  Rhine. 
The  ruins  of  a  Roman  bath  and  other  remains  bear 
witness  to  the  period. 

The  position  of  Ladenburg  was  no  less  important 
in  the  Middle  Ages,  when  it  was  the  capital  of  the 
district  named  Lobdengaus,  a  territory  first  in  the 
possession  of  the  French  king  and  afterwards  in  that 
of  the  Bishops  of  Worms.  It  was  in  the  name  of  the 
town  that  the  Counts  of  Lobdengaus  held  to  the  so- 
called  "  Stahlbiihel "  and  the  Gedinge  or  public  tri- 
bunal. 

In  the  twelfth  century  the  Bishops  of  Worms,  hav- 
ing been  driven  out  of  the  episcopal  city  by  an  in- 
surrection of  the  citizens,  took  up  their  residence  in 
Ladenburg  and  kept  up  a  brilliant  court  there.  The 
street  called  Saalgasse  recalls  the  palace  of  its  former 
protectors,  the  Frankish  kings,  for  the  royal  palace 
here,  as  elsewhere,  was  called  the  Saal  or  Hall.     The 


THE  BEKGSTRARSE  AND  ODENWALD.  205 

church,  Avhich  is  veiy  old,  contains  monuments  of  the 
Barons  Metternich  and  Sickingen. 

A  convent  which  was  built  by  the  Barons  von 
Sickingen  is  still  standing,  and  is  said  to  have  had 
the  following  origin  :  A  young  lady  of  the  family 
once  lost  her  Avay  in  the  neighboring  forest  and  wan- 
dered about  until  quite  late  at  night,  when  she  was 
guided  home  by  the  sound  of  the  church  bells  of  St. 
Gallus.  The  grateful  family  founded  the  convent,  in 
order  that  the  bell  shoidd  sound  every  night  at  eleven 
o'clock,  and  that  every  week  two  measures  of  corn 
should  be  baked  into  bread  and  distributed  to  the 
poor.     A  similar  story  is  met  with  in  other  places. 

The  Church  of  St.  Gallus  above  referred  to  is  said 
to  have  been  founded  by  King  Dagobert.  In  the 
history  of  Ladenburg,  which  is  rich  in  sieges,  we 
meet  constantly  with  traces  of  Lorsch,  that  renowned 
mighty  abbey  which  was  a  sort  of  n>agnet  for  all  the 
property  in  the  neighborhood.  The  Spanish,  the 
French,  and  the  Swedes  lay  before  these  gates  dur- 
ing the  Thirty  Years'  War ;  but  now  that  the  times 
have  grown  more  peaceful,  the  fragrant  trees,  whose 
valuable  fruit  is  celebrated  throughout  Germany, 
bloom  undisturbed. 

Continuing  our  road  a  little  farther,  we  come  to 
Weinheim,  which  reminds  us  of  what  Karl  Simrock 
says  in  his  "  Picturesque  and  Romantic  Rhineland  :" 
"  He  who  always  sits  in  the  railway  carriage  must 
not  boast  of  having  seen  the  Bergstrasse.      He  must 


206  THE  EHINE. 

take  a  carriage  of  his  own,  and  must,  at  least,  get 
out  at  Weinheim  in  order  to  paj  a  visit  to  the  old 
Windeck.  Standing  near  the  slender  tower,  over  the 
stables  supported  by  pillars  he  must  have  looked  down 
into  the  moist  valley  of  Gorxheimer,  where  the  Wech- 
nitz  runs  through  beech-grown  meadows,  and  have 
raised  his  eager  eyes  to  the  light-blue  distance  of  the 
Odenwald,  which  opens  right  and  left  before  him. 

"On  the  Hessian  frontier,  at  Unterlandenbach,  which 
yields  the  most  renowned  wine  of  the  Bergstrasse, 
he  must  have  looked  well  before  him  and  behind  him, 
and  on  either  side  of  him,  for  here  the  mountain- 
chain  describes  a  semicircle,  and  the  Oelberg  at 
Schrieszheim  comes  into  view  with  its  beautiful  com- 
binations of  form.  Nowhere  else  does  Melibocus, 
the  king  of  the  Bergstrasse,  appear  in  such  sublime 
majesty.  At  Heppenheim  he  must  have  visited 
either  the  ruins  of  Starkenburg,  from  which  the 
whole  province  is  named,  or  the  neighboring  town 
of  Lorsch,  to  which  not  only  the  Bergstrasse  but  the 
whole  country  round  is  indebted  for  its  culture  and 
and  its  old  historical  traditions. 

"  He  should  have  skimmed  through  a  few  chapters 
of  the  history  of  the  country,  and  have  learnt  at 
least  enough  to  know  that  Starkenburg  was  built  by 
the  monks  and  vassals  of  Lorsch  in  1064,  in  order 
to  preserve  for  their  abbot  Ulrich  the  possession  of 
the  wealthy  abbey,  which  the  Emperor  Henry  IV. 
had  given  away  to  his  favorite  the  Archbishop  Adel- 


THE  BERGSTRASSE  AND  ODENWALD.  207 

bert  of  Bremen  ;  he  must  know  also  that  if  Lorsch 
was  founded  early,  it  also  degenerated  early,  so  that 
Pope  and  Emperor  gave  it  over  to  the  Archbishopric 
of  Mayence  for  the  reformation  of  its  discipline,  and, 
if  necessary,  for  its  complete  incorporation — a  step 
by  which  Mayence  drew  down  upon  itself  the  war 
with  the  Palatinate. 

"  He  must,  at  least,  have  paid  a  visit  to  Auerbach 
in  order  to  try  to  release  the  Meadow  Maiden,  for 
who  knows  whether  the  cradle  wherein  he  was  rocked 
might  not  be  woven  from  the  twigs  of  the  tree  on 
which  her  deliverance  depends ;  for  this  youth  who 
is  to  win  her  must  have  been  rocked  in  a  cradle  made 
of  the  twigs  of  a  cherry-tree  beneath  whose  shade 
she  had  been  wont  to  linger.  If  he  fails,  the  Meadow 
Maiden  must  wearily  wait  once  more  until  a  cherry- 
tree  has  grown  in  the  meadow  and  a  cradle  has  been 
made  out  of  its  twigs,  for  she  can  only  be  set  free  by 
a  child  who  has  first  been  laid  in  that  cradle. 

"  He  must  have  visited  Z  wingenberg  and  Melibocus, 
— ^yes,  even  to  the  far-shining  tower  that  adorns  its 
summit,  and  marks  the  highest  point  of  the  mountain- 
chain.  When  he  has  done  all  this,  then  he  will  feel 
himself  monarch  of  the  Odenwald  and  of  the  vast 
Rhineland  at  his  feet." 

After  leaving  Heppenheim  we  come  to  Bensheim 
— and,  in  passing,  we  may  remark  that  on  the  Berg- 
strasse  all  the  names  end  in  bach  or  Jieim. 

Many   of  the  finest   examples   of  architecture  in 


208  THE  EHINE. 

Bensheim  were  destroyed  in  the  frightful  conflagra- 
tion of  1822,  but  we  still  find  towers  and  gables,  gal- 
leries and  gateways,  Avhich  will  bear  comparison  with 
the  original  buildings  of  the  Schwarzwald.  Bensheim 
is  also  closely  connected  with  the  traditions  of  the  old 
abbey  of  Lorsch,  which  is  situated  hardly  four  miles 
from  it.  In  the  highly-decorated  little  chapel  there 
Louis  the  German  and  his  son  found  their  last  rest- 
ing-place ;  and  Pope  Leo  IX.  laid  his  hands  in  bene- 
diction on  the  grave  which  the  people  held  sacred,  in 
spite  of  the  lawlessness  of  the  time. 

Poetry  and  legend  twine  their  golden  threads 
around  these  spots,  which  have  become  associated 
even  with  the  song  of  the  Nibelungen.  It  is  to  Lorsch 
that  Chriemhild  brings  the  body  of  the  noble  Sig- 
fried,  and  the  verses  of  that  great  poem  lament  in 
telling  lines  how  the  "  bold  hero  lay  in  his  long  cof- 
fin "  before  the  Minster. 

We  wander  on  past  the  ancient  town  of  Zwingen- 
berg,  past  Seeheim  and  Eberstadt  to  Bessungen.  At 
Bessungen  we  leave  the  forest,  which  up  to  this  time 
has  been  on  our  right,  and  we  turn  out  of  the  cele- 
brated road  bordered  with  fine  fruit-trees,  which  has 
led  from  Pleidelberg  hither.  The  associations  also 
which  have  accompanied  us  now  grow  faint,  the 
country  becomes  flatter,  and  the  moral  atmosphere 
which  surrounds  us  is  more  modern.  Our  gaze  no 
longer  rests  upon  green  summits  and  fallen  citadels, 
but  on  the  varied  bustling  life  of  the  present  day. 


THE  BERGSTRASSE  AND  ODENWALD.  209 

We  are  in  Darmstadt,  the  capital  of  the  beautiful 
country  of  Hesse. 

We  see  here  the  same  contrasts  which  meet  our 
eyes  in  nearly  all  towns  which  have  succumbed  to 
modern  ideas  of  progress.  The  interior,  the  kernel 
of  the  town,  is  still  built  in  the  old  style  which  drew 
all  the  houses  and  streets  as  closely  together  as  pos- 
sible ;  but  the  new  town  which  presses  out  beyond 
the  walls  and  the  gates  requires  vast  dimensions,  the 
roads  are  broad  and  straight,  and  the  houses  high 
and  handsome.  The  genius  of  the  present  rules 
here,  though  in  but  few  towns  is  this  principle  of 
extension  older  than  a  few  decades. 

The  Grand-Duke  Louis  I.,  who  died  in  1830,  is 
the  prince  to  whom  Darmstadt  owes  its  growth.  His 
monument  consequently  very  properly  stands  in  the 
centre  of  the  modern  quarter.  Art  lent  its  conse- 
crating grace  to  the  affection  which  erected  this  me- 
morial, for  the  figure,  which  stands  upon  a  lofty 
pedestal,  was  fashioned  by  no  less  masterly  a  hand 
than  that  of  Schwanthaler. 

The  palace  where  the  Grand-Dukes  of  Darmstadt 
reside  is  called  the  Castle.  It  was  begun  by  the  old 
Landgraves  of  Hesse,  and  every  century  since  has 
added  something  to  it,  according  to  its  own  taste. 
The  most  important  part  is,  without  doubt,  that  wing 
which  belongs  to  the  first  ten  years  of  the  last  century, 
and  was  finished  by  French  hands.  Its  fine  fayade 
looks  down  on  to  the  market-place,  and  it  contains  the 
Vol.  I. -14 


210  THE  KHINE. 

noblest  treasures  of  art  and  science  which  the  country 
possesses.  The  vakie  of  the  picture  gallery,  of  the 
antiquities,  and  of  the  other  collections  is  well  known. 
The  theatre  enjoys  an  honorable  reputation  through- 
out Grermany,  and  is  constantly  patronized  by  the 
reigning  Grand-Duke,  who  in  this  respect  follows  the 
example  of  his  predecessors.  In  short,  the  little 
capital  well  knows  how  to  detain  the  strangers  whom 
the  beautiful  scenes  of  nature  in  its  neighborhood  have 
attracted  to  it. 


WOKMS.  211 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

WORMS. 

The  whole  of  the  road  over  which  we  have  just 
passed  runs  along  the  right  bank  of  the  Rhine,  and 
the  green  forest  was  so  enticing  that  it  drew  us  far 
into  the  cool  shadow  of  its  branches.  But  this  is  the 
last  time  that  such  leafy  companions  accompany  us  in 
our  course  along  the  great  river.  We  now  return  to 
the  bank  in  the  broad  plain  through  which  it  flows, 
and  to  which  it  has  carried  fertility  and  prosperity  for 
thousands  of  years.  The  town  element  naturally 
predominates  again  here,  and  the  first  of  the  great 
cities  which  we  meet  with  on  the  left  bank  is  Worms. 

Worms  is  not  beautiful  in  that  ordinary  sense  which 
considers  only  attractive  colors  and  attractive  forms. 
There  is  another  kind  of  beauty,  however,  which  is 
grave  and  self-contained,  and  almost  disdains  to  be 
criticized  by  every  passing  gaze.  Such  is  the  beauty 
which  is  peculiar  to  the  places  in  this  part  of  the 
country,  and  to  the  environs  of  the  ancient  town  of 
Worms. 

The  landscape  is  flat,  the  colors  are  subdued,  and 
the  Rhine  flows  calmly,  but  strongly,  between  the 
meadows.     Thick  willow-bushes  stand  on  both  sides 


212  THE  KHINE. 

of  the  river,  where  a  deserted  bed  is  separated  from 
it  by  a  wide  sandbank,  on  which  now  and  then  a 
heron  may  be  seen.  Nothing  interferes  with  the 
broad  expanse  of  sky  which  offers  free  play  to  the 
sailing  clouds,  while  the  spires  of  the  cathedral  in 
the  distance  rise  in  silent  majesty.  We  shall  at  once 
feel,  as  we  look  on  the  scene  before  us  with  observant 
senses,  the  inner  meaning,  the  historical  character  of 
this  landscape.  The  spirit  which  animates  it  is  one  of 
calm  energetic  power,  that  characteristic  which  demands 
great  and  historical  figures  for  its  consummation. 

Worms  is  one  of  the  most  ancient  of  the  cities  of 
the  Rhenish  provinces.  The  Rabbi  of  Tudela  refers 
to  it  as  the  primeval  abode  of  emigrant  Israelites.  A 
legend  is  connected  with  this  ancient  Jewish  colony 
which  tells  how,  when  better  days  had  come,  and 
they  were  summoned  back  to  Jerusalem  by  the  high- 
priest,  they  were  loath  to  go,  and  lingered  in  the 
blessed  land  of  the  green  Rhine,  saying,  in  reply  to 
the  call :  "  We  live  in  the  promised  land  ;  Worms  is 
our  Jerusalem,  our  Synagogue,  our  Temple  !" 

They  felt  justified  in  giving  this  reply  by  the  cir- 
cumstance that  when  they  were  driven  forth  from  the 
Holy  City  they  carried  with  them  some  of  the  con- 
secrated soil,  and  intermixed  it  with  the  earth  of 
their  burying-ground,  and  with  the  soil  in  which  the 
foundation  of  their  new  Synagogue  was  laid.  So  this 
became  to  them  the  land  of  promise,  where  they  prayed 
and  where  their  bones  were  finally  laid  to  rest. 


WORMS.  213 

It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  in  the  persecutions  of 
the  Middle  Ages  the  Jews  of  Worms  were  often 
spared  when  other  colonies  were  persecuted.  This 
was  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  members  of  the  Syna- 
gogue at  Worms  spread  the  report — incredible  as  it 
may  seem  to  us — that  when  the  Saviour  was  about  to 
be  crucified,  and  the  other  Jewish  communities  of  the 
world  had  assented  to  it,  the  Worms  Synagogue  alone 
withheld  its  consent ! 

Another  explanation  of  how  the  Jews  came  to 
Worms  is  given  in  the  family  chronicle  of  the  Dal- 
berg  family,  whom  we  find  mentioned  in  old  deeds 
as  "  Chamberlains  of  Worms."  The  chronicle  relates 
how  their  primitive  ancestor  was  a  "  cousin  of  the 
Virgin  Mary  and,  at  the  same  time,  a  centurion  in 
the  twenty-second  Roman  Legion." 

He,  when  this  Legion  was  stationed  on  the  Rhine, 
brought  Jews  with  him  to  Worms  from  Jerusalem 
after  its  capture  and  destruction  by  Titus — and,  in- 
deed, in  the  capacity  of  slaves  :  then,  with  true  Chris- 
tian magnanimity,  he  gave  them  their  freedom,  and 
by  them  the  Synagogue  was  founded. 

It  was  in  the  old  fallen  Camba  here  that  the  Ger- 
man princes  used  to  assemble  to  choose  a  king,  and 
it  was  also  in  the  same  place  that  the  quarrel  between 
the  two  Conrads  was  ended  : 

"And  as  the  throng  stood  waiting  all  around, 
And  the  great  hum  of  men  was  so  allayed 
That  the  Rhine's  quiet  flow  could  be  observed, 


214  THE  RHINE. 

They  saw  how  suddenly  the  two  great  knights 
Grasped  one  another's  hands  with  hearty  grip, 
While  cheeks  and  lips  met  with  a  brother's  kiss. 
Then  did  they  know  no  jealousy  remained, 
And  each  to  other  willingly  gave  place." 

Thus  may  be  rendered  the  description  given  by 
Uhland,  in  his  "  Duke  Ernest  of  Swabia,"  of  the 
election  of  a  king  in  the  year  1024.  Concord  hav- 
ing gained  the  day,  the  princely  train  and  the  re- 
joicing people  proceeded  to  Mayence  for  the  corona- 
tion. 

All  these  are  pictures  of  events  which  have  long 
since  passed  away,  but  the  landscape,  the  ground  on 
which  they  were  enacted,  still  lives,  and  the  actors 
in  them  re-awake  for  him  who  looks  deeply  into  the 
features  of  the  place.  Such  a  one  hears  still  the 
noisy  hum  of  the  people,  and  sees  the  gigantic  form 
of  the  mighty  king  towering  over  the  shoulders  of 
the  rest.  This  force  of  historical  association,  this  in- 
visible reanimation  of  historical  figures  in  a  certain 
spot,  is  the  sign  of  an  historical  landscape. 

In  Worms  we  can  dispense  with  that  which  is,  but 
no  one  would  willingly  be  without  the  stirring  thoughts 
of  what  has  been.  Here  is  the  spot  where  the  great 
Caesar  once  stood  ;  it  was  here  that  Attila,  the  gloomy 
hero  of  devastation,  drove  his  cavalry  across  the 
Rhine.  Before  the  Cathedral  of  Worms  we  are  in- 
flamed by  the  quarrel  of  the  two  queens  Brunhild 
and  Chriemhilda,  and  it  was  over  this  same  Cathedral 


WORMS.  215 

that  that  mighty  cloud  arose  whose  lightning  gleams 
for  ever  for  us  in  the  song  of  the  "  Nibelungen." 
Indeed,  the  southern  side  of  the  Cathedral  is  richly 
decorated  with  statues  of  the  fourteenth  century, 
representing  the  characters  of  the  Nibelungenlied. 

The  Cathedral  is  still  the  greatest  of  all  the  monu- 
ments of  the  city  ;  it  is  one  of  those  splendid  stone 
giants  which  the  church  has  stationed  along  the  Rhine 
as  guardians  of  its  power.  There  is  apparent  through- 
out the  building,  with  its  round  towers  and  pinnacles, 
a  sort  of  defensive  character ;  the  stately  edifice  pre- 
sents itself  to  us  as  it  were  fully  armed.  The  entire 
style  is  Romanesque.  The  ground-plan  is  that  of  a 
Roman  basilica,  but  enriched  with  every  decoration 
which  a  creative  lavish  period  possessed.  The  unity 
of  the  whole  is  nowhere  destroyed  by  an  inconsist- 
ency. 

"  Being  built  in  the  early  years  of  the  ninth  cen- 
tury," says  Simrock,  "  it  is  one  of  the  oldest  and 
finest  monuments  of  the  rounded  arch  style.  From 
the  eastern  choir,  and  the  northern  side  of  the  nave, 
hideous  masks  and  grim  beasts  look  down  on  us, 
the  production  of  dark  paganism  which  the  Chris- 
tian church  of  the  eleventh  century  had  not  yet  been 
able  completely  to  get  rid  of  or  suppress.  The  west- 
ern choir  shows  somewhat  later  forms,  and  a  tran- 
sition to  the  pointed  arch.  This  is  explained  by  a 
necessity  having  arisen  in  the  fifteenth  century  for 
the  rebuilding  of  the  one  western  tOAver.     But  a  west- 


216  THE  RHINE. 

ern  choir  hardly  lay  within  the  plan  of  the  first 
architect.  According  to  fixed  law,  the  principal  en- 
trance should  have  stood  opposite  the  eastern  choir. 
The  present  beautiful  entrance  on  the  south  side, 
which  is  pure  Gothic,  must  have  been  added  three 
hundred  years  later." 

These  rough  walls  look  down  on  us,  mighty  as  the 
times  from  which  they  sprang,  and  the  impression 
they  make  is  not  weakened  when  we  step  with 
muffled  tread  within  the  sacred  walls.  There  are 
the  stone  tombs  of  the  old  ecclesiastical  princes  of 
Worms,  and  over  the  altars  pictures  with  golden 
backgrounds.  In  one  of  the  chapels  is  the  great 
stone  font,  and  in  another  the  last  resting-place  of 
queens.  We  stand  within  the  magic  circle  of  a  mas- 
terpiece, and  our  consciousness  tells  us  at  every  step 
we  take  that  the  air  we  are  breathing  is  historical. 

How  many  assemblies,  imperial  diets,  and  other 
councils  weighty  with  the  fate  of  Germany,  have 
been  held  within  reach  of  these  walls  !  In  the  year 
772  war  was  declared  here  against  the  Saxons.  In 
1122,  at  an  imperial  diet  here,  a  treaty  was  made 
between  the  Emperor  Henry  V.  and  Pope  Calixtus 
II.  respecting  the  investiture  of  the  bishops  with 
sceptre,  ring,  and  staff. 

In  the  year  1495  a  great  diet  was  held,  under 
Maximilian  I,,  at  which  club-law  was  abolished  and 
public  peace  established.  Later  still  came  that  most 
famous  diet, — the  Diet  of  Worms — when  a  bold,  de- 


WOKMS.  217 

termined  man,  the  "  world-sliaking  monk  of  Witten- 
berg/' stood  before  the  walls  of  the  sacred  old  Min- 
ster, and  tore  that  great  cleft  in  the  globe  which 
divides  two  eras,  and  created  those  two  spiritual 
hemispheres  into  which  the  world  is  divided — "  Here 
I  stand,  I  cannot  do  otherwise.  God  help  me !" 
Such  was  the  effect  of  these  words  that  men  wept, 
men  Avho  scarcely  knew  what  a  tear  was,  and  paved 
the  way  for  the  Gospel. 

The  legend  of  the  Luther-tree  at  Worms  dates 
from  these  days.  It  is  a  huge  cork-elm,  which  has 
been  noted  for  centuries.  As  Luther,  seated  in  an 
open  carriage,  neared  the  town  he  was  surrounded 
by  the  townspeople  and  nobles,  who  had  come  out  to 
meet  him. 

Near  the  carriage  rode  the  knightly  Captain  von 
Frundsberg,  talking  to  the  honored  guest.  As  they 
neared  the  city  gates  he  said :  "  Little  monk,  dost 
thou  verily  believe  that  thy  teaching  will  prevail !" 
Luther  pointed  to  a  weak  sapling  of  cork-elm  which 
grcAv  by  the  road-side,  and  filled  with  exultation  and 
trust  in  God,  answered  :  "  Yea,  Sir  Knight,  so  truly 
as  yonder  sapling  may  become  a  mighty  tree  and  vie 
in  height  with  the  towers  of  the  city !" 

And  the  mighty  cork-elm  which  withstood  the 
storms  of  centuries  is  the  Luther-tree  of  Worms. 

But  the  period  when  Worms  was  the  centre  of 
historical  events,  when  the  mighty  Charles  V.  and 
all   the  princes  came  into  the  imperial  city,  is  long 


218  THE  EHINE. 

since  past ;  and  deep  degradation  has  followed  the 
days  of  prosperity.  The  Thirty  Years'  War  visited 
it  with  desolation,  but  in  the  marauding  wars  of  Louis 
XIV.  it  was  not  only  desolated  but  destroyed.  When 
the  regiments  of  the  enemy  had  lain  long  enough 
within  these  walls,  the  citizens  were  informed  that  it 
was  the  will  of  "  the  most  Christian  king "  that 
Worms  should  be  burned  to  the  ground.  Only  a 
short  respite  was  granted  them,  and  then  the  con- 
suming flames  mounted  towards  heaven.  It  was  a 
gigantic  struggle  between  the  two  great  elements. 
The  earth  and  its  stone  would  not  yield,  and  the  rest- 
less flames  would  not  quench  themselves  till  they  had 
destroyed  the  last  house. 

At  that  time  Worms  was  populous  and  powerful, 
as  became  an  old  imperial  town.  A  double  wall  ran 
round  the  city  ;  it  had  seven  gates,  and  the  Rhine 
tower  was  so  strong  that  thirty  mines  had  to  be  laid 
under  it  before  it  coidd  be  overthrown.  Piece  by 
piece  the  old  magnificence  fell  into  ashes,  and  while 
the  people  outside  were  wringing  their  hands,  the 
town  was  levelled  with  the  ground  on  which  it  had 
stood. 

AU  was  dead  and  silent :  only  the  walls  of  the 
Cathedral  remained  amid  this  burnt  wilderness.  Every 
human  possession  perished :  God  only  had  preserved 
His  house ! 

Men  built  again ;  walls  can  be  replaced,  but  no 
future  race  can  supply  the  spirit  of  the  great  past, 


WORMS.  219 

that  was  destroyed  with  the  ancient  battlements.  A 
quiet,  dull  time  began  ;  grass  grew  in  the  streets,  and 
the  new  race  grew  up  depressed  and  weary.  The 
population  hardly  numbered  a  third  of  what  it  had 
once  been ;  and  they  lived  on  the  remembrances  of 
the  past  more  than  on  any  belief  in  a  great  future. 

This  meaningless  and  objectless  life  lasted  for  some 
time,  and  even  in  the  middle  of  the  last  century  a 
chronicler  tells  of  the  many  "barren  places  and  wastes" 
which  were  to  be  found  in  the  interior  of  the  town. 
Even  as  late  as  1840,  Victor  Hugo  calls  Worms  "une 
ville  qui  meurt,"  and  depicts,  with  gloomy  eloquence, 
the  impression  of  agony  which  he  had  received  when 
visiting  it. 

In  our  own  days,  life  has  all  at  once  re-appeared. 
It  is  not  the  old  powers  which  have  awakened  after 
long  slumber,  but  the  spirit  of  the  present,  the  modern 
ideas,  which  on  being  circulated  through  the  old  pet- 
rified limbs,  has  brought  into  existence  thousands  of 
busy  arms  who  fill  the  great  factories  and  thousands 
of  laden  wagons  which  fly  over  the  railroads,  up  and 
down  the  Rhine  as  far  as  Holland. 

In  the  Luther-Platz  we  see  an  imposing  monument 
to  the  great  Reformer,  erected  in  1868.  A  bronze 
statue  of  Luther  stands  high  on  a  pedestal,  sur- 
rounded, lower  down,  by  the  four  precursors  of  the 
Reformation,  Savonarola,  Huss,  WyclifFe,  and  Petrus 
Waldus.  Lower  still  are  allegorical  figures  of  the 
towns,   Magdeburg   (mourning),   Augsburg   (making 


220  THE  RHINE, 

confession),  and  Speyer  (protesting).  Between  these 
are  the  arms  of  the  twenty -four  German  towns  which 
first  embraced  the  Reformed  faith. 

We  enter  a  handsome  house  on  the  Lindenplatz ; 
green  vines  clamber  over  the  porch,  and  within  there 
reigns  that  cheerfid  hospitality  which  is  the  preroga- 
tive of  the  Rhine.  Everything  is  comfortable  and 
handsome.  The  father  sits  in  his  broad  arm-chair  at 
the  table  and  tells  of  the  old  times ;  the  amiable  smile 
which  now  and  then  flits  over  his  countenance  evi- 
dently comes  from  his  heart.  He  gazes  on  his  be- 
loved and  ever-cheerful  wife  with  as  much  pleasure 
and  affection  as  he  did  five-and-twenty  years  ago.  A 
thousand  recollections  are  revived  for  the  youthful 
guest,  while  the  golden  wine,  which  is  found  only  at 
Worms,  sparkles  in  the  great  green  glasses. 

In  the  background  there  moves  the  sweet  daughter 
of  the  house,  quietly  occupied  with  the  business  of 
the  table  ;  prudent  and  lovable  she  is  as  Elsie  in  the 
fairy-tale,  and  as  every  true  child  of  the  beautiful  old 
city  ever  has  been.  She  understands  her  work  thor- 
oughly, and  stiU  remains  always  modest.  Her  brown 
hair  droops  over  her  smiling  face,  and  she  performs 
the  duties  of  the  house  unknown  and  unembarrassed, 
so  that  in  watching  her  we  do  not  wonder  that  the 
district  in  which  Worms  is  situated  was  once,  in  the 
splendid  days  of  old,  named  Wonnegau,  or  "  the  dis- 
trict of  delight." 

Worms  appears  to  us  in  more  than  one  respect  to 


WORMS.  221 

be  the  first  town  on  the  Rhine  which  exhibits  purely 
Rhenish  life.  This  characteristic  of  the  inhabitants 
seems  to  us  to  increase  as  w^e  go  farther  down  the 
river,  until  we  reach  Cologne.  And  this  life  is  not 
Avanting  in  that  lovely  characteristic  of  female  beauty : 
pure  amiability  and  pure  modesty  meet  us  here. 
There  is  a  complete  world  of  local  customs,  ideas, 
even  of  names ;  and  in  every  heart  there  flows 
Rhenish  blood.  We  recall  with  gratitude  the  hos- 
pitable day  Ave  spent  in  Worms,  in  the  powerful 
old  imperial  city  of  the  past,  in  the  quiet  city  of 
to-day. 

We  meet  with  no  large  tOAvn  between  Worms  and 
Mayence,  for  which  reason  the  country  is  all  the  more 
rich  and  blooming.  It  is  covered  with  fruitful  vine- 
yards, and  is  full  of  that  gladness  which  seems  to  be 
inseparable  from  the  vine.  Such  is  the  picture  upon 
which  we  gaze  as  we  glide  down  the  blue  stream.  In 
the  midst  of  this  smiling  country  w^e  are  free  from 
all  the  sadness  which  is,  more  or  less,  always  associated 
wdth  the  walls  of  towns,  and  from  all  those  fierce  strug- 
gles whose  gloomy  memories  make  the  Rhine  the 
stream  of  history. 

We  first  stop  in  Oppenheim,  and  here  we  recog- 
nize once  more  the  signs  of  stormy  days  gone  by,  for 
above  the  expanse  of  vine  gardens  there  stands  a 
bold  and  commanding  stronghold.  This,  in  its  time, 
has  seen  many  an  Emperor  Avithin  its  chambers,  and 
many  an  enemy  within  its  w^alls,  for  it  Avas  an  im- 


222  THE  EHINE. 

perial  fortress,  and  was  worthy  of  the  proud  name 
which  described  it  as  the  "  crown  of  the  country." 

The  little  town  which  crouches  at  its  feet  is  much 
older,  and  Avas  built  upon  the  ruins  of  what  is  sup- 
posed to  have  been  a  Roman  settlement.  Though 
unpretending  and  modest,  it  once  possessed  the  finest 
church  which  the  Gothic  style  ever  created  in  Ger- 
many, and  it  required  all  the  vandalism  of  the  war 
of  the  Palatinate  to  give  up  this  masterpiece  as  a 
prey  to  the  flames.  More  than  half  of  the  renowned 
Church  of  St.  Catherine  was  destroyed  in  1689,  but 
in  1878-89  it  was  entirely  restored  from  the  designs 
of  the  Ijvte  architect  Schmidt,  of  Vienna.  Not  only 
is  it  a  monument  of  faith,  but  we  feel  that  the  grandeur 
of  ancient  times  and  the  history  of  past  races  lie  cov- 
ered by  its  stones.  We  feel  this  deeply  when,  walk- 
ing quietly  along  its  aisles,  we  come  upon  the  great 
names  which  are  written  on  these  tombs.  They  are 
not  names  of  individuals  only,  but  they  bring  before 
us  whole  pages  of  history.  The  corner-stone  of  St. 
Catherine's  is  said  to  have  been  laid  with  great  pomp 
and  rejoicing  in  1262  by  King  Richard. 

Outside,  in  the  quiet  churchyard  which  surrounds 
the  building,  rest  thousands  whose  names  and  fate 
are  known  to  none  ;  and,  according  to  ancient  cus- 
tom, a  charnel-house  has  been  built  in  which  are  col- 
lected the  skulls  that  have  been  dug  up  from  time  to 
time.  What  horror  would  thrill  through  us  at  the 
picture,  if  while  staring  through  the  grating  at  these 


WORMS.  223 

bleached  bones,  the  thoughts  wliieh  once  beat  be- 
neath these  brows  were  suddenly  to  become  embodied 
— thoughts  which  were  untold,  unfulfilled,  and  lost 
for  ever ! 

Even  here  we  find  traces  of  war,  which  several 
times  visited  the  cheerful  little  town,  for  many  of  the 
bleached  heads  are  splintered  at  the  temple  and  bear 
the  mark  of  a  bullet.  Who  has  sent  him  to  his 
death  ?  was  it  a  Swedish  knight,  who  lay  before  the 
town  during  the  Thirty  Years'  War,  a  mercenary  of 
the  French  army  which  Turenne  brought  to  the 
Rhine,  or  a  Spaniard  from  the  Basque  Mountains  ? 

But  who  thinks  now  of  such  forgotten  woes  ?  On 
the  hills  that  once  drank  in  the  blood  of  warriors,  the 
vines  are  waving  and  the  clear  wine  sparkles  in  the 
green  ringing  glass.  It  is  here  that  we  first  meet 
with  the  name  of  "  Rhine  wine,"  and  all  that  lies 
yonder  towards  the  Pfalz  belongs  no  longer  to  the 
map,  but  to  the  wine  chart.  "  Niersteiner  "  and  the 
wine  of  Laubheim  and  Bodenheim  have  attained,  far 
and  wide,  a  well-deserved  reputation,  and  with  them 
we  will  fill  our  beaker  to  the  brim  while  the  boat 
bears  us  over  the  blue  Rhine  to  Mayence.  Already 
we  see  the  Cathedral  towering  over  the  broad  roofs 
of  the  city,  and  seem  to  hear  the  sound  of  the  church 
bells  of  the  old  royal  city  on  the  Rhine.  So  we  once 
more  fill  our  glass  in  honor  of  "  Mayence  the  Golden!" 


224  THE  KHINE. 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

MAYENCE    THE    GOLDEN. 

Now  let  US  continue  our  way  along  the  "  Priestly 
Highway  of  the  German  Empire/'  as  it  has  been 
called  from  the  number  and  the  celebrity  of  the  eccle- 
siastical sees  which  we  shall  pass.  We  are  now  at 
"  Mayence  the  Golden,"  and  we  shall  go  as  far  as 
"  Cologne  the  Holy/'  along  the  lovely  banks  with 
which  God  has  blessed  the  great  German  river. 

This  town,  so  often  sadly  memorable  in  history, 
and  yet  so  indestructible,  was  once  situated  farther 
up  on  the  softly-sloping  hills.  In  the  course  of  time 
it  has  sunk  down  to  the  river-banks.  It  has  also 
simk  from  the  height  of  its  classic  origin,  when  the 
Romans  built  their  stone  bridges  here,  and  made  a 
yoke  for  our  German  forefathers  ;  and  also  it  has 
descended  from  its  ecclesiastical  height,  when  the 
bishops  turned  the  crozier  into  a  temporal  sceptre. 
But  in  spite  of  all,  though  power  and  Avealth  have 
been  lost  under  a  thousand  calamities,  it  still  remains 
"the  Golden." 

The  inhabitants  of  Mayence  have  also  preserved 
their  character  for  pleasantness  and  good  humor,  and 
wherever  the  traveller  wanders  in  this  romantic  val- 


/KjarKetplacCt  /IDa^ence, 


MAYENCE  THE  GOLDEN.  225 

ley,  up  stream  or  down,  along  the  fine  silver  surface 
as  far  as  the  Mouse  Tower,  he  finds  the  men  of  May- 
ence  to  be  "  Father  Rhine's  "  happiest  and  pleasant- 
est  children. 

The  situation  of  Mayence,  if  not  the  most  beau- 
tiful, is  at  all  events  most  open  and  pleasant.  From 
the  heights  of  the  Kiistrich  or  the  "  Anlagen "  (at 
the  feet  of  which  is  the  handsome  railway  bridge), 
the  eye  sweeps  over  the  river  Maine  and  over 
the  many-tinted  spurs  of  the  Odenwald  and  the 
Taunus. 

The  airy  fragrant  heights  of  Hochheim  and  its 
vineyards  overlook  the  confluence  of  the  Mair.e  and 
the  Rhine,  and  from  the  high  bank  on  the  other  side 
rise  the  massive  contours  of  the  red-brick  Backstein 
barracks,  now  the  Prussian  cadet  school  of  Bibrich. 
The  little  local  steamers  pass  briskly  backwards  and 
forwards  past  the  low  island  5  the  tugs  of  the  Rhine 
Boat  Company  go  panting  through  the  clear  waters 
at  the  head  of  a  whole  flotilla ;  the  express  boats 
move  majestically  along,  like  the  traditional  stately 
swan — in  the  style  of  the  Mississippi  floating  palaces; 
and  between  the  steaming  passenger-boats  filled  Avith 
people  the  Rhine  stream  floAvs  lazily  on. 

On  the  other  side  we  see  dimly  rising  out  of  the 
mist  of  the  horizon,  or  shining  in  a  direct  ray  of  the 
sun,  the  faint  outline  of  the  Platte,  the  hunting  castle 
of  the  Duke  of  Nassau  5  the  white  temple  of  Nero- 
berg,  like  a  great  forest  mushroom ;  and  the  gilded 
Vol.  I.— 15 


226  THE  EHINE. 

pinnacles  of  the  Byzantine  Greek  chapel  shining  be- 
tween the  trees. 

Farther  down  the  stream  we  see  the  Niederwald 
springing  high  above  the  terraces  of  Rudesheim.  It 
is  still  of  the  same  capricious  yet  soft  gradations  of 
stone  color,  and  forms  a  kind  of  gate  to  a  bend  in  the 
Rhine,  shutting  it  in  so  as  to  open  out  an  entirely 
new  panorama  on  the  other  side. 

If  the  sunlight  is  favorable  the  observer  may  see 
from  the  hills  of  Mayence  a  little  piece  of  the  pearly 
track  of  the  Rheingau  spread  in  the  fragrant  little 
Eden,  where  God  has  so  favored  men  that  He  has 
caused  the  seltzer  spring  to  issue  from  the  earth  close 
to  the  vineyards.  Here  everything  sings  "  Glory  to 
God  in  the  highest " — the  crosses  and  crucifixes  be- 
tween the  vine  gardens,  the  juicy  golden  grapes,  the 
swelling  chestnut-tree,  the  villas  and  cottages  scat- 
tered among  the  dark-green  foliage,  the  little  town 
which  bathes  its  feet  in  the  sparkling  river,  and, 
finally,  the  glad  and  grateful  hearts  of  men. 

But  beautiful  as  the  scenery  is  all  round  us,  history 
has  harshly  visited  this  part  of  the  Rhine  Valley, 
particularly  the  left  bank,  and  Mayence  especially 
has  felt  its  heavy  hand. 

The  origin  of  the  first  warlike  disturbances  are  lost 
among  childish  legends.  It  is  said  that  there  lived 
in  Trier,  fourteen  years  before  the  Christian  era,  a 
sorcerer  named  Nequam,  whom  the  people  of  Trier 
drove  out  of  their  town  on  account  of  his  evil  arts. 


MAYENCE  THE  GOLDEN.  227 

Nequani  swore  to  be  revenged  on  them  by  building 
another  town,  and  he  came  to  the  place  on  which 
Mayence  now  stands,  and  raised  a  town  out  of  the 
earth  by  magic. 

Another  legend  ascribes  the  building  of  the  city  to 
a  fugitive  from  the  siege  of  Troy  named  Moguntius. 
This  might,  perhaps,  account  for  the  name  of  the 
town,  but  the  authority  is  hardly  to  be  relied  on. 
Authentic  history  begins  with  the  fortified  Roman 
station  which  stood  here,  and  although  it  seems  un- 
likely that  no  German  settlement  should  have  been 
formed  before  that  time  in  so  particularly  favorable  a 
situation  at  the  confluence  of  two  great  rivers,  yet 
absolutely  no  trace  of  any  such  previous  settlement 
is  to  be  found. 

The  two  great  epochs  of  Mayence  were  the  Roman 
period  and  the  ecclesiastical  period.  The  stone  annals 
which  yet  remain  tell  us  of  both  of  these  epochs. 
The  oldest  of  them  informs  us  that  Agrippina  caused 
a  fortified  Avinter  camp  to  be  formed  at  Moguntiacum 
in  the  year  38  B.C.,  and  Caius  Sertorius  was  at  that 
time  named  Curator  civium  romanorum  Mog. 

The  real  fortifier  of  the  place  appears  to  have  been 
Caius  Drusus,  who,  in  14  B.C.,  also  built  a  camp  on 
the  other  side  of  the  river  at  Castellum — the  present 
Castel — and  erected  a  stone  bridge  across  the  Rhine 
in  order  to  enable  his  legions  the  more  conveniently 
to  cross  over  to  their  German  families  who  dwelt  in 
the  woods. 


228  THE  KHINE. 

We  are  reminded  of  him  at  the  present  day  by  the 
"  Eichelstein,"  which  stands  above  the  "  Anlagen," 
or  gardens,  and  was  once  a  handsome  building  erected 
for  him  by  his  legions,  but  is  now  a  ruin,  as  are  also 
the  aqueduct  which  he  made,  and  the  Roman  bridge, 
of  which  the  stone  pillars  remain  only  to  be  used  as 
anchoring-posts  for  the  well-known  floating  water- 
mills,  which  may  be  seen  here  in  some  considerable 
numbers.  The  value  of  the  culture  which  the  Romans 
brought  into  the  country  is  inestimable  ;  when  the 
twenty-second  legion  came,  on  their  return  from 
Jerusalem,  they  also  brought  Christianity  and  Bishop 
Crescentius  with  them  ;  both  Avcre  objects  of  hatred. 

Crescentius  is  described  in  local  history  as  a  pupil 
of  St.  Peter.  He  is  said  to  have  suffered  martyrdom 
in  the  reign  of  Trajan  about  103  A.D.  Mayence 
seems  to  have  been  one  of  the  most  Christian  cities 
of  the  Roman  Empire  of  that  time  ;  and  Alexander 
Severus  was  murdered  here  by  his  soldiers  for  the 
new  faith. 

The  prosperity  of  the  town  again  declined  until 
Rando  fell  upon  it  and  mercilessly  destroyed  it  and 
both  its  Roman  and  Christian  inhabitants.  After  it  was 
rebuilt,  Mayence  fell  a  prey  to  the  Vandals  and  their 
allies  on  Christmas  Eve  of  406,  and  was  totally  de- 
stroyed by  fire.  Attila  destroyed  it  again  in  451, 
and  it  was  only  after  the  expulsion  of  the  Romans  in 
622  that  the  permanent  rebuilding  was  begun  again 
under  Theodobert  and  Dagobert. 


MAYENCE  THE  GOLDEN.  229 

Mayence  was  the  seat  of  the  East  Frankish  duchy. 
It  was,  however,  not  till  the  time  of  Charlemagne, 
when  he  built  his  palace  in  Lower  Ingelheim  and  in- 
troduced the  cultivation  of  the  vine,  and  when  St. 
Boniface  became  archbishop  of  Mayence,  that  the 
town  rose  to  importance  and  was  well  known  through- 
out Germany.  This  continued  until  893,  when  the 
Emperor  Arnulf  conquered  the  town. 

But  from  the  time  when  the  bishops,  those  pious 
servants  of  the  church,  constituted  themselves  coun- 
sellors of  the  German  Emperor  and  temporal  rulers, 
an  endless  period  of  dissension  began  which  it  would 
be  impossible  to  relate  fully  here.  Monasteries  over- 
ran the  country,  and  the  church  was  dominant  under 
the  protection  of  the  Pope. 

A  man  like  Bishop  Hatto  seemed  a  necessary  re- 
sult of  the  state  of  things,  and  he  gave  the  world  a 
specimen  of  the  basest  misuse  of  power  in  the  cruelty 
which  Avas  imputed  to  him.  Even  the  archbishop 
Willigis,  a  son  of  the  house  of  Wagner,  who  was 
about  the  best  of  all  the  bishops,  had  the  ambition  to 
be  chosen  Elector,  and  introduced  into  the  arms  of 
the  town  the  well-known  wheel  with  the  legend: 

"Willigis,  Willigis, 
Forget  not  this, 
That  thy  father  a  wheelwright  is  !" 

thus  modestly  denoting  his  origin. 

The   Cathedral,   the   Church  of  the   Holy   Virgin, 


230  THE  RHINE. 

was  commenced  by  Willigis,  and  under  him  harmony 
at  length  reigned  among  the  citizens.  This  soon 
ended,  however,  under  his  successors,  and  Henry 
IV.,  the  penitent  of  Canossa,  set  a  Hmit  to  the  power 
of  the  bishops  and  protected  the  constantly  contested 
privileges  of  the  citizens,  until,  in  1104,  the  Diet  of 
Mayence  declared  him  to  have  forfeited  his  throne. 

During  the  life  of  Archbishop  Ruthard — and  ap- 
parently encouraged  by  him — the  persecution  and 
massacre  of  the  Jews  took  place,  the  wealth  of  these 
people  having  long  roused  envy  and  vexation.  The 
public  pawning-houses,  which  were  in  the  hands  of 
the  Italian  Jews  (whence  the  present  name  of  "  Lom- 
bards ")  did  a  large  business.  This  brought  great 
wealth  to  the  owners  of  these  establishments  and  the 
banking-houses,  who  provoked  the  anger  of  the  people 
by  the  ostentatious  display  of  their  luxury.  At  last 
the  smouldering  fire  broke  out  in  massacre  and  spoli- 
ation ;  and  even  the  bishop  himself  shared  the  booty 
with  the  robbers — an  act  which  he  had  to  expiate  by 
seven  years'  banishment  to  a  Thuringian  monastery. 

It  would,  as  we  have  already  said,  take  us  too  long 
to  follow  the  long  succession  of  archbishops,  with  all 
the  good  and  evil  with  which  they  are  associated,  and 
which  culminated  with  Arnold,  who  was  robbed,  mur- 
dered, and  horribly  mutilated  by  the  citizens,  whom 
he  called  "  dogs." 

Before  this,  however,  the  lawlessness  of  the  people 
and   of   the    clergy   had    reached   a   critical    height. 


MAYENCE  THE  GOLDEN.  231 

Frederick  11.  himself  incited  tlie  people  of  Mayence 
against  their  archbishop  Siegfried  III.,  whom  they 
drove  ont  of  the  town.  Siegfried  collected  an  army 
and  besieged  Mayence,  which  was  forced  by  hunger 
to  open  its  gates.  The  citizens  in  revenge  attacked 
him  one  night  while  asleep  in  his  castle  of  Eltville, 
and  forced  him,  with  the  knife  at  his  breast,  to  sign 
a  fresh  charter.  They  sent  him  again  into  banish- 
ment, drove  all  the  clergy  out  of  the  town,  and  de- 
termined to  do  Avithout  religion,  so  that  for  several 
years  no  religious  services  whatever  were  held. 
However,  friendship  Avith  the  archbishop  was  re- 
stored under  Matthias ;  who,  nevertheless,  eventu- 
ally died  by  poison. 

Avarice  and  a  marauding  nature  were  usually  the 
causes  of  the  misfortunes  of  the  archbishops,  who 
but  too  often  preferred  making  war  or  carrying  on 
some  lucrative  trade,  to  concerning  themselves  about 
the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  people. 

In  the  year  1254  the  citizen  Arnold  Walpoden,  of 
Mayence,  founded  the  League  of  Rhenish  Towns. 
Mayence  became  the  leader  of  this  powerful  associa- 
tion, and  was  soon  strengthened  by  more  than  a 
hundred  neighboring  toAvns,  from  Basle  on  the  south 
to  Bremen  on  the  north.  Mayence,  as  the  centre  of 
the  Rhenish  towns,  received  the  flattering  name  of 
"  the  Golden."  About  this  time  the  Robber  Knights 
became  a  menace  to  safety. 

In  the  thirteenth  and  fourteenth   centuries  May- 


232  THE  EHINE. 

ence  became  the  favorite  resort  of  the  Minnesanger, 
or  Troubadours.  In  1318  the  most  celebrated  of 
them,  Heinrich  Fraunlob,  the  pious  minstrel  who 
sang  the  praises  of  the  Holy  Virgin  and  of  female 
virtue,  died  here  and  was  buried  in  the  Cathedral. 

In  the  year  1462,  Adolf  of  Nassau  took  the  town 
by  treachery,  plundered  it,  killed  five  hundred  of  its 
citizens,  and  deprived  it  of  its  civic  freedom.  In 
1552  it  fell  into  the  hands  of  Albert  of  Brandenburg. 
Then  came  the  Swedes,  under  Gustavus  Adolphus, 
Avho  laid  under  contribution  the  monasteries  to  which 
the  clergy  had  fled.  Later,  in  1644,  the  town  was 
occupied  by  the  French,  who  left  it  in  1648,  after 
the  Treaty  of  Westphalia.  They  returned  in  1792, 
under  Custine,  to  whom  Mayence  surrendered  through 
treachery  and  cowardice.  It  Avas  retaken  by  the 
Prussians,  under  Kalkreuth,  in  1793.  The  French 
again  blockaded  the  fortress  a  year  later,  and  it  was 
recovered  by  the  Austrian  Marshal  Clerfayt. 

By  the  Treaty  of  Luneville,  Mayence  passed  into 
the  hands  of  the  French  in  1797,  and  remained  in 
their  possession  until  the  fall  of  Napoleon.  In  1814 
the  Vienna  Congress  gave  the  town,  Avhose  fortifica- 
tions had  gained  greatly  in  importance  during  all 
these  varied  fortunes  of  war,  to  the  Grand-Duke  of 
Hesse.  This  duke  held  it  as  a  fortress  of  the  League 
until,  in  1866,  the  League  itself  became  a  thing  of 
the  past. 

Such  are  the  main  points  in  the  history  of  the  old 


MAYENCE  THE  GOLDEN.  233 

Electoral  city — a  continual  struggle  Avith  conquerors 
and  oppressors  from  without,  and  with  priestly  polit- 
ical supremacy  from  within. 

None  of  the  spirit  of  that  old  oppressive  period 
remains  among  the  present  population,  though  traces 
of  French  character  are  still  to  be  met  with  in  the 
people  of  Mayence.  French  regiments,  French  fash- 
ions, the  frivolity  of  the  French  colony  so  long  estab- 
lished in  the  neighboring  town  of  Coblentz,  left  be- 
hind much  light  blood  in  Mayence.  It  could  not  be 
expected  that  French  nature  and  French  chic  should 
be  readily  eradicated,  and  the  trace  of  it  remains  at 
the  present  day  in  the  gracefid  women  of  Mayence. 

It  is  difficult  now  to  believe,  when  we  meet  the 
splendid  religious  processions  in  the  streets,  that  there 
were  many  years  during  which  no  public  worship  was 
held  ;  though  it  is  true  that  to-morrow  we  may  meet 
in  the  very  same  street  Prince  Carnival  and  all  his 
motley  court. 

With  such  a  history  as  that  indicated  above,  May- 
ence is  necessarily  rich  in  antiquities,  and  especially 
such  as  are  of  Roman  origin.  Much  also  that  is  in- 
teresting, belonging  to  a  later  period,  has  survived 
the  destruction  and  calamities  that  have  visited  the 
town. 

The  Cathedral,  the  great  Avork  of  Willigis,  the  best 
of  the  bishops,  which  was  begun  in  978,  was  six  times 
destroyed  or  partially  destroyed  by  fire,  and  in  war  it 
has  seen  wild  hordes  break  into  its  interior.     It  was 


234  THE  KHINE. 

totally  destroyed  by  fire  in  the  year  1009,  but  was 
rebuilt,  and  had  approached  so  near  completion  in 
1024  that  Conrad  II.  was  able  to  be  crowned  there. 
In  1024,  in  1137,  and  1191  it  was  again  a  prey  to 
the  flames. 

Gustavus  Adolphus,  on  one  occasion,  even  com- 
manded it  to  be  blown  up.  During  the  bombard- 
ment of  the  town  in  1793  it  again  suffered  by  fire, 
and  in  1813  it  was  turned  into  a  French  forage  maga- 
zine. Modern  times  have  done  their  best  to  restore 
and  complete  the  beautiful  church. 

It  does  not  lie  within  our  province  to  act  as  cice- 
rone I  but  we  would  rather  refer  our  readers  for  all 
details  to  Heyl's  book  of  "  The  Rhine  Countries." 
We  will  only  mention  the  numerous  tombs  and  monu- 
ments in  this  Cathedral,  and  especially  the  marble 
tablet  inscribed  with  the  year  794,  just  at  the  en- 
trance of  the  church.  There  is  no  doubt  that  this 
was  the  tomb  of  the  beautiful  Fastrada,  the  ardently- 
loved  wife  of  Charlemagne.  The  monument  is  not 
at  all  destroyed,  nor  is  the  above-mentioned  stone, 
which  is  the  original  one. 

The  objects  of  greatest  interest  are  the  chapter- 
house with  the  Chapel  of  St.  ^gidius,  and  opposite 
it  the  bishop's  throne  and  two  rows  of  stalls  j  behind 
these  are  the  cloisters  and  the  garden.  Among  the 
monuments  is  a  modern  one  to  the  minstrel  Count 
Henry  of  Meissen,  called  Heinrich  Frauenlob.  Ac- 
cording to  the  inscription,  it  was  raised  to  the  pious 


Ube  Catbe^ral  tvom  tbe  /iDavhetplacCt  nDa\?encc. 


MAYENCE  THE  GOLDEN.  235 

songster  by  the  women  of  Mayence,  in  the  year  1842. 
The  sculpture  on  it  is  by  Schwanthaler. 

"  In  Mentz  'tis  hushed  and  lonely,  the  streets  are  waste  and  drear, 
And  none  but  forms  of  sorrow,  clad  in  mourning  garbs,  appear  ; 
And  only  from  the  steeple  sounds  the  death-bell's  sullen  boom  ; 
One  street  alone  is  crowded,  and  it  leads  but  to  the  tomb. 

"And  as  the  echo  from  the  tower  grows  faint  and  dies  away, 
Unto  the  Minster  comes  a  still  and  sorrowful  array,— 
The  old  man  and  the  young,  the  child,  and  many  a  maiden  fair  ; 
And  every  eye  is  dim  with  tears,  in  every  heart  is  care. 

"Six  virgins  in  tlie  centre  bear  a  coffin  and  a  bier, 
And  to  the  rich  high-altar  steps  with  deadened  chant  draw  near, 
Where  all  around  for  saintly  forms  are  dark  escutcheons  found. 
With  a  cross  of  simple  white  displayed  upon  a  raven  ground. 

"And,  placed  the  raven  pall  above,  a  laurel-garland  green, 
The  minstrel's  verdant  coronet,  his  meed  of  song,  is  seen  ; 
His  golden  harp,  beside  it  laid,  a  feeble  murmur  flings. 
As  the  evening  wind  sweeps  sadly  through  its  now  forsaken 
strings. 

"Who  rests  within  his  coffin  there  ?    For  whom  this  general  wail  ? 
Is  some  beloved  monarch  gone,  that  old  and  young  look  pale  ? 
A  king,  in  truth, — a  king  of  song  !  and  Frauenlob  his  name  ; 
And  thus  in  death  his  fatherland  must  celebrate  his  fame. 

"Unto  the  fairest  flowers  of  Heaven  that  bloom  this  earth  along, 
To  women's  worth,  did  he  on  earth,  devote  his  deathless  song ; 
And  though  the  minstrel  has  grown  old,  and  faded  be  his  fame, 
They  yet  requite  what  he  in  life  hath  done  for  love  of  them." 

The   Church  of  St.   Stephen  is   also  said  to   have 
been  founded  by  Willigis  in  990.      Within  it  is  the 


236  THE  BHINE. 

tomb  of  the  good  man,  with  his  skiill  and  his  mass 
vestments. 

The  image  of  the  Virgin  in  the  Cathedral  is  said 
to  work  miracles.  A  story  is  told  of  an  aged  musician 
who,  finding  that  no  one  would  listen  to  his  old-fash- 
ioned tunes,  stole  into  the  Cathedral,  and,  after  pray- 
ing for  aid,  stood  before  her  shrine  and  played  a 
hymn  upon  his  violin  in  honor  of  the  Virgin  Mary. 

The  Holy  Mother,  touched  by  the  old  man's  pov- 
erty, raised  her  jewelled  robe  and  deftly  kicked  one 
of  her  golden  slippers  into  his  hat,  which  was  lying 
on  the  floor  in  front  of  her.  Falling  on  his  knees, 
the  old  musician  humbly  thanked  the  Virgin  for  her 
charity,  then  hurried  off  to  a  neighboring  goldsmith 
to  sell  the  shoe  in  order  to  buy  bread. 

The  goldsmith  questioned  the  old  man  as  to  where 
he  got  the  shoe,  and  not  believing  the  miraculous 
story  that  the  minstrel  told,  he  had  him  arrested.  It 
did  not  take  long  for  the  court  to  find  him  guilty  of 
sacrilegious  theft,  and  to  condemn  him  to  death. 

As  he  was  dragged  past  the  Cathedral  door  on  his 
way  to  the  place  of  execution,  he  begged  permission 
to  say  a  last  prayer  before  the  Virgin.  He  was  per- 
mitted to  kneel  before  the  shrine,  with  his  hat  and 
violin  beside  him.  Tremblingly  the  old  violinist 
begged  Mary  to  open  the  gates  of  Heaven  for  him. 
And  when  he  had  ended  his  prayer  he  again  played 
a  little  hymn,  declaring  that  his  last  music  on  earth 
should  be  in  honor  of  the  Blessed  Virgin. 


MAYENCE  THE  GOLDEN.  237 

While  he  was  ])layiiig,  the  Virgin,  in  the  presence 
of  the  multitude  that  had  followed  the  old  musician 
into  the  Cathedral,  deliberately  lifted  her  gown,  for 
the  second  time,  and  kicked  off  her  other  golden  shoe 
into  the  tattered  hat  of  the  old  man. 

This  second  miracle  convinced  the  people  that  the 
old  minstrel  had  been  unjustly  condemned,  so  the 
priests  stepped  forward  and  offered  him  a  pension  for 
life  if  he  would  return  to  the  church  the  two  golden 
shoes.  The  old  violinist  accepted  the  offer,  and  the 
priests  made  haste  to  lock  up  the  golden  shoes  in  a 
safe  place  for  fear  that  the  Virgin  should  again  be 
tempted  to  bestow  them  upon  some  other  poor  sup- 
pliant at  her  shrine. 

In  the  course  of  the  Franco-Prussian  war,  Mayence 
was  one  of  the  principal  depots  for  the  French  pris- 
oners, whose  great  camp  formed  a  splendid  spectacle. 
Mayence  was  at  the  same  time  the  embarking-place 
for  the  transports  and  commissariat  ships.  Time, 
which  levels  all  things,  has  left  here  little  that  is 
characteristic.  Life  and  its  business  in  Mayence  is 
exceedingly  brisk,  active,  and  prosperous. 

At  every  season  of  the  year  the  traffic  on  the 
banks  of  the  Rhine  is  very  great,  as  well  as  over  the 
bridge  at  Castel,  which  forms  a  favorite  rendezvous 
in  the  fine  summer  evenings  for  the  lively  people  of 
Mayence.  The  beautiful  "  Anlagen "  is  another 
favorite  resort.  This  was  the  case  especially  at  the 
time  when  Mayence  was  still  a  fortress  of  the  League, 


238  THE  KHINE. 

and  when  the  alternate  performances  of  the  Prussian 
and  Austrian  bands  collected  the  fashionable  inhabit- 
ants for  miles  round.  In  winter  the  ice  in  the  trenches 
attracts  a  great  many  of  the  nimble  young  Mayencers. 

We  leave  Mayence  with  a  few  rapid  glances  at 
some  of  the  points  of  interest  in  the  interior.  The 
only  historical  interest  which  is  attached  to  the  citadel 
is  that  the  Eichelstein  was  within  it.  The  Eichelstein 
was  a  monument  said  by  tradition  to  have  been  erected 
in  the  year  9  B.C.  by  the  Roman  legions,  in  honor 
of  Drusus,  Avho  was  killed  by  a  fall  from  his  horse. 

Thorwaldsen's  statue  of  Gutenberg  announces  that 
a  new  light  rose  upon  the  world  from  Mayence.  The 
inscription  on  it  informs  us  that  this  monument  was 
erected  to  Johann  Gensfleisch  of  Guten  by  his  fellow- 
citizens,  aided  by  subscriptions  from  all  Europe. 
Gutenberg  sprang  from  a  patrician  family  of  May- 
ence. The  whole  world  knows  what  it  owes  to  his 
discovery,  but  the  year  of  his  birth  and  the  house 
where  that  event  occurred  are  unknown. 

He  was  a  goldsmith  by  trade,  and  he  threw  him- 
self blindly  into  the  mania  for  gold-making,  and  spent 
long  months  in  hunting  for  the  "  philosopher's  stone." 
He  spent  enormous  sums  of  money  in  his  vain  ex- 
periments, and  at  last  was  forced  to  some  practical 
work  to  earn  his  bread.  He  chose  wood  carving, 
and  through  the  cutting  of  separate  letters,  and  ar- 
ranging them  into  words,  came  the  idea  that  later  led 
to  the  art  of  printing. 


MAYENCE  THE  GOLDEN.  239 

The  Elector's  palace,  on  the  Paradeplatz,  was  built 
from  1627  to  1678.  In  the  year  1792  it  was  the 
residence  of  the  Electors  ;  in  the  time  of  the  revo- 
lution it  was  the  meeting-place  of  the  members  of 
the  Mayence  clubs.  The  bishop's  palace  dates  from 
the  year  1666.  In  its  neighborhood  is  the  convent 
for  EngUsh  girls,  where  Ida  Hahn  meditated  over 
the  vanity  of  the  world  and  her  own  folly. 

The  monument  of  the  immortal  Schiller  stands  in 
the  Schillerplatz.  It  is  said  that  the  syenite  pillar  of 
the  fountain,  which  was  built  in  this  square  in  1760, 
came  from  Charlemagne's  palace  at  Ingelheim.  The 
German  House  which  lies  opposite  the  castle  is  worthy 
of  notice.  It  was  erected  in  1716,  and  was  formerly 
the  house  of  the  German  Order ;  it  is  now  the  occa- 
sional residence  of  the  Grand-Duke. 

The  numerous  strangers  who  visit  the  town  in 
summer  congregate  chiefly  by  the  shore  in  the  Rhein- 
strasse,  where  there  are  a  large  number  of  hotels 
facing  the  railway,  which  is  uncomfortably  squeezed 
in  between  the  shore  and  the  street.  All  day  long 
we  hear  the  clanging  of  the  railway  bell  and  the 
shriek  of  the  engine,  as  much  as  to  warn  us  that  we 
have  not  a  minute  to  spare.  Owing  to  the  constant 
movement  of  the  engines  and  the  shunting  of  the 
carriages,  we  are  so  detained  as  to  have  but  a  few 
moments  to  reach  the  landing-stage,  from  whence  we 
embark  on  board  the  local  steamer ;  which,  ploughing 
through  the  water  and  scattering  the  spray,  sparkling 


240  THE  EHINE. 

like  myriads  of  diamonds,  bears  us  between  the  green 
islands  dotting  the  river,  to  Biebrich — to  the  land  of 
Nassau,  which  is  one  of  the  finest  jewels  of  the  Ger- 
man Empire. 


BIEBKICH.  241 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

BIEBRICH. 

The  Castle  of  Biebrich  rises  on  the  right  bank  of 
the  Rhine.  It  is  built  of  red  sandstone,  and  has  a 
light  and  open  situation.  It  is  still  the  property  of 
the  prince  who  governed  the  most  beautifid  little 
country  of  Germany,  but  who,  in  an  anxious,  critical 
hour  staked  this  crown,  this  diadem  of  all  Germany, 
upon  a  doubtful  throw,  and  lost  it,  as  so  many  have 
lost  their  all  at  the  fatal  gaming-table.  Its  fine  situ- 
ation makes  it  one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  castles. 

In  front  of  it,  immediately  on  the  bank  of  the 
river,  is  a  shady  avenue  which,  like  the  Villa  Reale 
of  Naples,  is  frequented  by  the  lazzaroni  of  the  shore, 
the  so-called  "  Rheinschnaken,"  or  "  loafers,"  who 
hang  about  here  waiting  for  the  arrival  of  the  steam- 
ers in  order  to  offer  their  services  at  a  cheap  rate  to 
passengers. 

In  the  distance,  behind  the  castle,  rise  the  woody 
heights  of  the  Odenwald  and  Taunus,  forming  a  chain 
— a  green  screen — round  the  valley  lying  at  its  feet, 
and  breaking  off  abruptly  towards  the  river,  as  if 
frightened  back  by  the  Rhine,  and  falling  almost  pre- 
cipitously towards  the  shore  in  steep  terraces  oppo- 
site Bingen. 

Vol.  I. —16 


242  THE  KHINE. 

From  the  windows  the  eye  travels  far  from  the  flat 
roof  of  the  castle  out  into  the  beautiful  Rheingau, 
from  whose  heights  the  Johannisberg  peers  over  the 
dark  ruins  of  Rudesheim  and  all  the  celebrated  little 
wine  towns,  while  on  the  farther  side  of  the  bank  the 
heaped-up  clouds  shine  in  the  dark-blue  distance. 

It  is  a  wonderful  scene  :  the  banks  on  both  sides 
of  the  river  apparently  closing  in  under  the  Nieder- 
wald  ;  on  this  side  there  are  sloping  vineyards  with 
their  little  houses,  villas,  and  shady  parks,  which 
form  a  girdle  round  the  bank ;  on  the  other  the  citadel 
of  Klopp,  the  chapel  of  St.  Roch,  commanding  the 
valley  from  the  heights — the  old  Ingelheim  of  the 
great  Frankish  emperor — Ehrenfels,  and  the  retired 
Mouse  Tower.  In  the  river  between  are  scattered 
the  green  islands,  towards  which  the  busy  steamer 
hurries,  to  vanish  behind  the  lofty  rock  of  Rude- 
sheimer. 

In  the  .distance,  again,  are  the  towers  of  Mayence 
and  Hochheim,  and  between  them  the  light  arch  of 
the  railway  bridge  and  the  perforated  casemates  of 
Castel.  Finally,  there  is  the  varied  active  human 
life  on  both  banks,  the  lading  and  unlading  of  the 
bulky  Dutch  trading-ships,  the  Rhine  skiffs,  the  lofty 
uiinaret-like  chimneys  of  the  factories  which  pour 
out  their  smoke  in  clouds  into  the  blue  ether.  There 
can  hardly  be  a  pleasanter,  brighter  picture  than  this 
place  offers  to  the  eye,  although  the  bank  opposite 
the  castle  is  so  insipid  and  monotonous. 


BIEBRICH.  243 

Many  things  unite  to  produce  the  charm  which  it 
exercises  :  there  is  the  distant  view  on  all  sides,  the 
wonderful  reflections  of  the  green  wooded  hills  in 
the  golden  mirror  of  the  river,  the  poetic  force  of  the 
ever-moving  water,  the  sunlit  poetry  which  rests  upon 
it  all,  and,  lastly,  the  unresting,  pulsating  life  ever 
pursuing  either  business  or  pleasure. 

Although  Biebrich  is  not  important — Mayence  on 
the  opposite  bank  seeming  to  have  grown  at  its  ex- 
pense— it  is  a  busy  little  place,  with  numerous  iron, 
cloth,  and  glass  manufactories,  and  a  population  of 
eleven  thousand  souls. 

Near  Biebrich  lies  the  island  of  Peters- Aue.  Here 
centuries  ago  the  Emperor  Louis  the  Pious,  son  and 
successor  of  Charlemagne,  died  at  his  summer  palace 
on  the  island. 

There  seems  to  be  no  doubt  that  Biebrich  owes  its 
name  to  the  number  of  beavers  that  formerly  used 
to  find  a  suitable  situation  for  their  buildings  in  the 
islands  which  lie  opposite  the  town.  At  the  present 
time  proofs  are  not  wanting  that  these  animals  were 
once  very  numerous  in  the  Rhine.  Since  the  begin- 
ning of  the  last  century  they  have  been  greatly  de- 
stroyed and  driven  away  by  thoughtless  trapping, 
and  more  especially  by  the  increasing  population  of 
the  banks,  so  that  at  the  present  day  the  name  of  the 
place  is  nearly  all  that  remains  of  them. 

Formerly  the  flesh,  bones,  and  skin  of  the  beaver 
caused  him  to  be  eagerly  hunted  by  the  inhabitants 


244  THE  EHINE. 

of  the  Rhine  banks.  But  as  the  forests  along  the 
river  were  cut  down  the  beaver  became  more  and 
more  scarce  5  yet  even  in  the  beginning  of  the  present 
century  the  animal  was  occasionally  seen  on  the  banks 
of  the  Rhine. 

In  1720  there  was  such  danger  of  the  beaver  be- 
coming extinct  in  the  north  that  Frederick  William 
of  Prussia  passed  stringent  laws  for  his  preservation. 
Beavers  are  still  found,  though  rarely,  in  the  Elbe, 
the  Weser,  and  other  rivers ;  and  in  the  province  of 
Magdeburg  they  are  said  still  to  have  a  quiet  resting- 
place,  where  they  are  protected  and  preserved. 

There  is  a  legend  that  a  beaver  was  discovered  in 
the  foundations  of  the  palace  of  Biebrich,  but  for 
that  I  cannot  vouch. 

The  castle,  which  is  built  in  the  style  of  the  Renais- 
sance, was  finished  in  1706  by  George  Augustus  of 
Nassau.  The  sandstone  figures  which  adorn  the  roof, 
otherwise  valueless,  have  a  somewhat  mournful  ap- 
pearance, for  they  were  very  harshly  treated  in  1793, 
at  the  siege  of  Mayence,  when  the  French  planted 
their  guns  on  the  Peters-Aue. 

A  large  and  beautiful  park  with  fine  trees  is  situ- 
ated behind  the  castle.  Did^e  Adolf  of  Nassau  culti- 
vated this  with  the  greatest  care,  until  his  country 
fell  to  the  share  of  Prussia.  At  the  last  hour  he 
could  not  save  that  country,  when  the  choice  was 
placed  before  him  after  the  battle  of  Koniggratz. 
He  decided  for  Austria,  less  perhaps   from   his  own 


BIEBRICH.  245 

inclination  than  from  that  of  a  blind  counsellor.  The 
obligation  which  was  imposed  on  him  to  maintain  a 
public  road  through  the  park,  his  private  property, 
and  the  numerous  abuses  of  this  privilege,  cooled  the 
interest  of  the  absent  prince  for  his  favorite  spot. 
He  sold  the  splendid  palm-house  to  the  town  of 
Frankfort,  which  replaced  its  palm-garden  by  a  rare 
orangery.  The  park  is  still  beautiful,  for  its  fine 
shady  trees  are  uninjured,  but  its  former  cultivation 
has  vanished  since  the  castle  lost  the  princely  house- 
hold. 

Deep  in  the  park  lie  the  ruins  of  old  Biburk,  also 
called  Moosburg.  It  stands  on  other  ruins  which 
formed  the  castle  of  Louis  the  German  in  874.  Its 
history  is  obscure  and  lost  in  conjecture.  The  statues 
at  the  entrance  came  from  the  tombs  of  the  Counts 
Katzenellenbogen,  in  the  abbey  of  Eberbach.  The 
sculptor,  E.  Hopfgarten,  formerly  made  himself  a 
studio  in  the  interior  of  this  castle,  and  had  a  com- 
mission from  the  duke  to  carve  a  sarcophagus  for  the 
Greek  chapel  at  Wiesbaden.  Hopfgarten  died  in 
1856.  Some  of  his  works,  among  them  a  model  of  a 
Lorelei,  were  preserved  in  this  studio  till  1874,  when 
they  w^ere  sold  by  his  heirs  and  carried  away. 

Since  Biebrich  has  lost  its  interest  as  the  residence 
of  the  Duke  of  Nassau,  its  commercial  importance, 
as  well  as  that  of  the  parish  of  Moosbach,  has  de- 
clined. The  State  established  a  military  cadet  school 
in  the  barracks  built  by  the  duke,  but  the  court  w^as 


246  THE  EHINE. 

wanting.  Mayence,  lying  opposite,  absorbs  all  the 
business,  and  that  jealousy  of  its  neighbors  which  is 
found  in  small  towns  still  exists.  It  was  once  great 
enough  to  induce  an  attempt  to  frustrate  the  inten- 
tion of  building  a  harbor  at  Biebrich  by  sinking  a 
whole  fleet  (of  which  Heine  has  sung)  with  stones. 


WIESBADEN.  247 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

WIESBADEN. 

Leaving  the  river  and  passing  the  Mosbach  rail- 
way station,  the  road,  which  is  shaded  by  a  double 
avenue  of  trees,  rises  gently  to  Adolf's  Hill.  On 
one  side  we  get  a  charming  glimpse  of  the  islands 
and  a  part  of  the  Rheingau ;  on  the  other,  quite  as 
attractive,  of  Mayence,  Castel,  and  the  mountain- 
chain. 

Before  us  lies  the  Taunus,  from  the  plateau  of 
which  the  hunting-castle,  the  Platte,  and  the  chapel 
look  down  through  a  break  in  the  woods ;  whilst 
to  the  left  the  forester's  house  on  the  forest-road 
to  Schlangenbad  peeps  through  the  rising  Avood,  and 
to  the  right,  on  the  ridge  of  hills,  the  watchtower  of 
Bierstadt  commands  the  whole  of  the  Rhine  Valley. 

Even  before  we  reach  Mosbach,  we  meet  with 
the  fii'st  of  those  country  houses  which  are,  as  it 
were,  the  outposts  of  that  community  that  has  souglit 
comfortable  seclusion  in  the  loveliest  of  the  Rhine 
valleys,  in  the  "  city  of  idlers,"  Wiesbaden.  On 
both  sides  stretch  the  pastures  of  fertile  green  inter- 
sected by  the  Taunus  and  Nassau  Railway. 

In  a  few  minutes  we  reach  the  plateau,  and  at  our 


248  THE  EHINE. 

feet  lies  the  little  paradise  which  was  once  the  resi- 
dence of  the  Dukes  of  Nassau,  the  "  Mecca  "  of  all 
those  who  make  a  pilgrimage  to  its  warm  springs, 
and  the  "  Nice  "  of  Germany.  It  is  protected  from 
the  north-east  wind,  and  is  a  favorite  resort  of  those 
who,  tired  of  the  whirl  of  the  great  towns,  wish  to 
end  their  days  under  the  Rhenish  sun  and  in  the 
mildest  climate.  Indeed,  it  is  difficult  to  find  another 
place  so  highly  favored  by  heaven  as  this. 

Up  the  slope  of  the  valley,  surrounded  by  wooded 
hills,  are  country  houses  scattered  among  luxuriant 
gardens,  and  parks  environing  the  town,  where  the 
warm  vapor  of  the  medicinal  spring — like  the  gey- 
sers of  Iceland — always  emits  from  the  peculiar 
"  Kochbrunnen  "  a  thick  column  of  steam  to  invigor- 
ate and  shower  its  benefits  on  all  who  come  within 
its  range.  Everything  here  speaks  of  comfort, 
wealth,  and  contentment.  A  tall  chimney,  here  and 
there,  ventures  to  creep  in  between  the  villas ;  and 
the  numerous  golden-tipped  flagstaffs  on  the  roofs 
announce  the  readiness  of  the  inmates  to  avail  them- 
selves of  every  occasion  for  a  holiday. 

In  the  last  few  years  the  rage  for  building  has 
brought  the  country  houses  even  as  far  as  Adolf's 
Hohe.  They  are  on  each  side  of  us  as  we  stroll  down 
the  Adolf  Avenue  into  the  neatest  and  most  elegant  of 
German  towns,  which,  fifty  years  ago,  was  little  more 
than  a  village,  but  has  now  attained  a  population,  good 
and  bad,  of  more  than  sixty-five  thousand  souls. 


WIESBADEN.  249 

We  say  of  good  and  bad,  for,  like  Baden,  Wies- 
baden originally  OAved  its  pleasure-gardens  to  the 
gaming-table,  and  it  was  only  when  gambling  was 
prohibited  by  the  government  that  private  families 
began  permanently  to  take  up  their  residence  here. 
What  therefore  the  evil  spirit  of  play  commenced  has 
been  finished  by  the  good  genius  of  enterprise,  and 
scarcely  did  the  Wiesbadeners  perceive  that  they 
could  get  on  better  without  the  former,  than  specula- 
tions in  houses  and  land  began.  The  Electoral  town 
became  a  miniature  cosmopolitan  city,  its  society  be- 
came a  mixture  of  all  nations,  a  neutral  settlement 
of  people  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  in  which  every 
language  is  understood,  and  every  coinage  is  current. 

The  history  of  Wiesbaden,  about  which  the  present 
mixed  society  troubles  itself  but  little,  begins  Avith  the 
time  of  the  Romans,  Avho  built  the  old  3Iaftiacum,  and 
it  was  the  existence  of  the  warm  spring  which  led  to 
its  erection.  Pliny  speaks  of  it,  and  the  remains 
which  have  been  found  on  Heidenberg  and  Romer- 
berg  are  said  to  date  from  the  time  when  the  four- 
teenth legion,  which  was  afterwards  relieved  by  the 
twenty-second,  was  stationed  in  these  parts. 

The  name  Wisibad,  Wisibadun,  appears  in  records 
of  843.  The  Rhenish  "  Robber-Knights  "  ran  riot 
here,  and  once  completely  laid  the  city  waste.  In 
1815  Wiesbaden  was  the  capital  of  the  Duchy  of 
Nassau.  In  1866  it  was  occupied  by  a  Prussian 
militia  company,   who  met  with  no   opposition,  and 


250  THE  EHINE. 

since  then  it  has  been  the  seat  of  a  Prussian  govern- 
ment. 

The  Kurhaus,  finished  in  1810,  with  its  beautiful 
gardens,  naturally  forms  the  centre  of  the  town.  The 
ascent  from  the  railway-station  through  the  Wilhelm- 
strasse  is  quite  imposing,  bordered  as  it  is  on  one  side 
by  lofty  plane-trees,  and  that  part  of  the  Kurgarten 
named  the  "  warm  bank,"  with  its  beautiful  lawns, 
ponds,  and  music  tents,  which  are  seen  between  the 
trunks  of  the  plane-trees.  Next  to  the  open  place 
before  the  theatre  is  the  garden  of  the  Kurhaus, 
richly  and  artistically  arranged  with  flower-beds,  and 
between  them  are  cascades  which  are  illuminated  in 
the  evening.  Right  and  left  are  repeated  the  avenues 
of  great  plane-trees,  which  lead  the  fashionable  world 
into  the  private  gardens  behind  the  assembly-rooms. 
Opposite  to  these  avenues  are  two  rows  of  very  beau- 
tiful red-thorns,  and  behind  them  again  colonnades  of 
shops.  This  open  place  presents  a  gay  and  busy 
scene,  particularly  in  the  afternoon  and  evening, 
when  the  beginning  of  the  concert  summons  every- 
body to  the  back  of  the  Kurhaus  under  the  shady 
red  chestnuts. 

The  company  sit  closely  packed  together  under  the 
trees,  or  wander  at  will  by  the  banks  of  the  fish-pond, 
on  which  a  flotilla  of  white  swans  swim  round  and 
round,  though  much  disturbed  at  times  by  the  gon- 
dolas with  their  gay-colored  streamers,  which  move 
over  the  still  surface  with  more   ease   and  greater 


WIESBADEN.  251 

speed  than  the  limited  space  would  seem  to  warrant. 
This  place  has  a  wonderful  effect  when,  during  the 
concert,  the  fish-pond  is  illuminated  with  Bengal 
lights,  and  the  fountain  is  made  to  throw  its  column 
of  water  higher  than  the  tops  of  the  trees.  Bengal 
lights  are  in  great  force  at  Wiesbaden  ;  with  them 
and  fireworks  and  music,  the  energetic  director  keeps 
his  patrons  amused  and  in  constant  circulation. 

The  rooms  in  the  Kurhaus  are  imposing  and  richly 
decorated,  especially  the  great  assembly-room,  with 
the  little  conversation-room  and  refreshment-room. 
In  four  of  the  saloons  at  the  left  side  of  the  house 
might  once  be  heard  the  chink  of  gold  and  silver  and 
the  rustle  of  bank-notes  on  the  fatal  green  cloth. 
The  intermittent  "  rouge  gagne  et  la  couleur "  and 
the  clear  click  of  the  roulette  ball  has  here  made 
many  hearts  beat  anxiously  or  joyously.  All  this, 
however,  has  long  since  ended.  No  one  thinks  of  it 
now,  and  the  hangers-on  who  used  to  gather  about 
the  gaming-tables  have  departed  to  Saxony  and 
Monaco. 

Wiesbaden  has  become  a  steady  town.  We  own 
ourselves  to  have  been  in  error  when  we  said  else- 
where that  the  demon  of  play  was  like  a  wall-fungus, 
and  could  not  be  destroyed,  for  even  if — which 
Heaven  forbid — Wiesbaden  should  be  swallowed  up 
by  an  earthquake,  the  words  "  faites  le  jeu  !"  would 
only  sound  from  the  depths  like  the  bells  of  the  buried 
city  of  Vineta  from  beneath  the  waves  of  the  Baltic. 


252  THE  RHINE. 

The  Wiesbaden  Gardens  extend  for  a  considerable 
distance,  reaching  to  the  village  and  ruins  of  Sonnen- 
berg  and  to  the  Dietenmiihle,  the  much-frequented 
hydropathic  establishment.  On  one  side  of  the  gar- 
dens is  the  Sonnenbergstrasse  and  on  the  other  the 
Parkstrasse,  both  of  which  are  bordered  Avith  villas. 

These  gardens  possess  great  attractions  on  account 
of  the  shade  they  offer,  especially  in  the  spring,  as 
the  sheltered  situation  of  the  place,  protected  as  it  is 
from  keen  winds,  allows  the  most  delicate  vegetation 
to  flourish  luxuriantly.  The  abundance  of  the  JBig- 
nonia  catalpa  and  the  trumpet-tree,  with  its  candela- 
brum-shaped white  blossoms,  give  the  pleasure-gar- 
dens a  peculiar  charm.  The  effect  of  the  gay  flower- 
beds in  the  neighborhood  of  the  private  houses  is  also 
very  agreeable. 

At  the  end  of  the  Wilhelmstrasse,  past  the  Kvir- 
haus  and  Theaterplatz,  we  come  upon  the  Taunus 
road,  and  at  the  same  time  the  Trinkhalle.  On  the 
right  of  it,  at  the  beginning  of  the  Sonnenberger 
road,  the  Pauline  Palace  may  be  seen  on  the  heights 
of  the  "  Schonen  Aussicht."  The  palace  is  the 
property  of  the  duke,  and  was  formerly  the  dwell- 
ing-place of  the  widowed  duchess.  It  crowns  the 
summit  of  a  somewhat  steep  ridge,  which  is  covered 
with  park-like  trees  and  flowers,  and  was  built  in 
1841—43,  in  a  quasi-Alhambra  style. 

At  the  end  of  the  Trinkhalle  the  road  leads  on  the 
right  to  the  Geisberg,  which,  with  the  Agricultural 


WIESBADEN.  253 

Academy  and  numerous  villas,  forms  one  part  of  the 
town.  Going  straight  on,  there  is  a  shady  avenue 
of  limes,  and  the  Elizabethstrasse,  bordered  with 
country  houses,  after  a  short  distance  opens  on  to  the 
beautiful  Nero  Valley. 

Here,  in  this  valley,  we  are  confronted  with  that 
great  forest  on  the  Neroberg,  on  Avhose  slopes,  which 
are  dotted  with  vine-dressers'  cabins,  grows  the  noble 
Neroberger,  Avith  which  the  increasing  houses  seem 
to  contest  the  costly  ground. 

From  the  Kapellenstrasse,  which  passes  over  this 
mountain,  the  villas  on  the  edge  of  the  forest  look 
down  into  the  valley.  This  is  the  road  to  the  Greek 
chapel,  which  may  also  be  reached  by  a  footpath  that 
winds  between  the  vineyards  and  hop-gardens. 

This  chapel  is  built  in  the  form  of  a  Greek  cross, 
and  has  a  curious  effect  with  its  five  gilded  pinnacles, 
the  highest  one  hundred  and  ninety  feet  from  the 
ground,  to  each  of  which  a  double  cross  is  attached 
by  chains.  In  dull  weather  it  has  almost  the  effect  of 
a  ray  of  sunshine  on  the  valley.  It  is  built  of  bright 
sandstone,  and  was  completed  in  1855,  and  dedicated 
by  the  Duke  Adolf  to  the  memory  of  his  early-lost 
consort,  the  Princess  Elizabeth  Michaelovna  of  Russia. 
The  interior  is  built  entirely  of  marble.  A  magnifi- 
cent altar  screen,  with  figures  of  saints  on  a  gold 
ground,  separates  the  body  of  the  chapel  from  the  choir. 
An  exquisite  monument  to  the  Duchess  Elizabeth  is 
in  a  recess  on  the  north  side  of  the  chapel. 


254  THE  RHINE. 

The  road  leads  farther  up  the  mountain,  through  a 
strong  and  thicklj-grown  beech  wood,  to  the  plateau 
of  the  Neroberg,  eight  hundred  feet  above  the  sea. 
Here  stands  the  Belvidere,  a  temple  from  which  may 
be  obtained  a  splendid  view  over  the  Rhine,  includ- 
ing Biebrich,  Mayence,  Darmstadt,  and  the  moun- 
tain-chains. Beautiful  walks  and  promenades  lead 
through  this  wood,  which  is  a  mile  in  extent.  The 
hunting-castle,  "the  Platte,"  built  in  1824,  and  be- 
longing to  the  Duke  of  Luxemburg,  lies  still  higher 
and  more  exposed,  being  nearly  fifteen  hundred  feet 
above  the  sea.  It  commands  the  Neroberg  and  has 
an  extensive  view  over  the  Rhine  Valley. 

The  Wiesbaden  spring,  the  most  precious  posses- 
sion of  the  town,  supplies  about  a  dozen  bath-houses. 
The  waters  are  drunk  in  the  morning  at  the  hall  and 
in  its  innnediate  neighborhood,  the  inhabitants  being 
roused  early  by  a  concert  of  choral  music.  After 
that  the  visitors  retire  to  their  baths,  and  profound 
silence  reigns  on  the  promenades,  which  is  only  dis- 
turbed by  the  children  and  their  nurses,  and  the 
melancholy  wheel-chairs  of  those  invalids  who  have 
escaped  early  from  their  bath. 

The  Kurgarten  is  also  quiet  in  the  forenoon.  At 
the  pond  the  children  feed  the  swans  who  come  wad- 
dling clumsily  up  to  them.  Among  the  trees  sit  a 
few  visitors  reading  novels,  and  under  the  shady 
chestnuts  the  waiters  loll  idly  against  the  trunks, 
dozing,  with   their  napkins  on  their  knees,  and  iso- 


WIESBADEN.  255 

lated  groups  of  chess-players  sit  silently  round  the 
tables.  The  morning  is  claimed  entirely  by  the 
waters,  the  afternoon  and  evening  are  given  up  to 
pleasure  and  diversion,  which  are  sought,  not  only  in 
the  concerts  and  festivities  of  the  Kurgarten,  but  also 
by  making  excursions  into  the  beautifid  environs. 

The  favorite  resorts  of  visitors  to  Wiesbaden  are 
Schlangenbad,  to  which  the  road  leads  through  the 
shade  of  the  thick  beech  wood,  and  Schwalbach,  two 
bathing-places  lying  in  the  cool  valley-side  between 
wood  and  meadow,  in  which  ladies  who  are  disposed 
to  nervousness  often  attempt  to  seek  restoration  to 
health. 

Schlangenbad  especially  was,  about  twenty-five 
years  ago,  quite  a  little  female  Republic,  in  which  the 
occasional  visit  of  a  husband  to  his  wife  caused  almost 
a  sensation.  But  there  was  another  period  much  far- 
ther back  when  the  little  valley  used  to  collect  within 
the  walls  of  the  one  building  which  had  been  erected 
and  embellished  for  the  purpose  a  pretty  lively  assem- 
bly of  both  sexes.  The  higher  clergy  and  a  number 
of  canonesses  looked  upon  Schlangenbad  as  their  own 
peculiar  domain.  About  the  same  time  also  the  little 
place  received  the  noble  Prince  Eugene  (1708)  as  a 
guest.  The  baths  of  Schlangenbad  have  been  known 
for  centuries,  the  old  Kurhaus  having  been  erected 
as  early  as  1629. 

The  very  simple  history  of  Schlangenbad  relates 
that   shortly  after  the  discovery  of  the  spring  it  was 


256  THE  EHINE. 

sold  to  a  doctor  of  Worms  for  a  puncheon  of  wine. 
It  lately  passed  from  the  possession  of  Nassau,  to 
which  it  had  belonged  since  1816,  into  the  hands  of 
Prussia.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  place  owes  its 
name  to  the  great  number  of  snakes  which  abound 
in  the  woods,  and  are  caught  by  the  boys  of  the 
neighborhood  and  exhibited  to  the  visitors. 

One  of  the  most  charming  and  easy  excursions  is 
to  the  Greorgenhorn  Hill,  over  which  the  road  from 
Wiesbaden  passes.  It  presents  to  the  observer  a 
vast  panorama  of  the  Rhine,  with  a  distant  view  of 
Frankfort  and  the  environs  of  Worms.  The  advan- 
tages of  the  situation  have  induced  several  enthu- 
siastic lovers  of  nature  to  establish  themselves  in  the 
villas  here  which  command  a  view  of  the  broad  Rhine 
Valley. 

The  pleasantest  point  in  Schlangenbad  itself  is  the 
gallery  of  the  Nassau  Hotel,  from  which  we  look  over 
the  little  splashing  fountain  to  the  valley  yonder.  On 
the  left  is  the  Kurgarten,  rising  in  terraces,  where  a 
very  modest  choir  is  performing  its  afternoon  concert, 
and  a  band  of  jugglers  turn  their  somersaults. 

Before  us  lies  the  promenade,  constantly  enlivened 
by  the  most  elegant  toilettes  ;  behind  and  near  us, 
steps  hewn  in  the  rock  lead  to  romantic  shady  spots, 
for  almost  everywhere  arbors  and  clear  springs  offer 
such  poetic  resting-places  to  the  nervous  visitors.  A 
pleasant  stillness  hovers  continually  over  wood  and 
valley,   and  this  is  only   broken  occasionally   by  a 


ikurbaus  GarOens,  TllHiesbaOen. 


WIESBADEN.  257 

merry  party  mounted  on  donkeys  who  approach  near 
us,  or  by  the  arrival  of  a  coach  from  Wiesbaden 
loaded  with  merrymaking  tourists. 

The  discomfort  of  this  place,  when  the  whole 
valley  is  covered  with  snow  and  everything  is 
wrapped  in  its  winter  sleep,  is  amply  atoned  for 
when  spring  unchains  the  ice-bound  springs  in  the 
woods  and  strews  the  meadows  with  tender  blossoms, 
adorns  the  beech  and  oak  trees  with  fresh  green 
tints,  and  attunes  the  lays  of  the  feathered  songsters 
to  soft  melody.  But  none  of  all  its  annual  visitors 
sees  all  this,  for  the  air  is  keen  and  can  only  be  faced 
by  the  robust ;  even  when  the  place  is  officially 
opened  in  the  height  of  summer,  there  sometimes 
breaks  out  a  "  sauve  qui  pent "  among  the  earliest 
guests,  which  only  the  boldest  can  withstand. 

The  neighboring  Langen-Schwalbach,  or  familiarly 
Schwalbach,  has  a  similar  reputation  as  a  health  re- 
sort. It  was  known  as  early  as  300,  and  was  a  fash- 
ionable watering-place  in  the  seventeenth  and  eigh- 
teenth centuries.  Its  steel  springs,  and  the  air  which 
is  impregnated  by  them,  attract  all  those  whose  com- 
plaints require  such  a  tonic. 

The  company  at  Schwalbach  are  indeed  at  times 
reminded  of  the  saying  of  the  French  writer,  who 
thought  that  if  a  servant  were  engaged  to  go  through 
all  that  a  nervous  lady  voluntarily  went  through  in  a 
single  winter  season,  he  would  sink  under  the  at- 
tempt. The  place  itself  lies  in  a  pastoral  valley,  and 
Vol.  I. -17 


258  THE  KHINE. 

makes  its  appearance  in  history  in  1352  as  the  vil- 
lage of  Swalhorn.  Amongst  the  historical  notabilities 
who  have  taken  the  waters  here  is  Tilly,  who  stayed 
in  the  place  in  1628.  In  later  times  the  ex-Em- 
press Eugenie  arrived  here  and  took  up  her  abode  in 
the  boarding-house  now  called  the  "Villa  Eugenie." 

The  most  interesting  points  in  the  neighborhood 
are  the  Castles  of  Schwalbach,  with  their  watch- 
tower  Adolfseck,  which  was  reduced  to  ruins  during 
the  Thirty  Years'  War.  These  were  once  the  dwell- 
ing-places of  the  favorite  of  the  Emperor  Adolf.  The 
castles  of  Hohenstein  and  Hohlenfels  should  also  be 
mentioned,  the  one  situated  on  a  lofty  rock  and  the 
other  on  a  chalk  cliff. 


AN  EXCUKSION  TO  THE  TAUNUS.  259 


CHAPTER    XX. 

AN  EXCURSION  TO  THE  TAUNUS. 

As  there  is  no  other  way  to  Castel,  Ave  must  re- 
trace our  steps  and  go  back  past  Mosbach.  The 
engine-sheds  immediately  on  the  banks  of  the  Rhine 
have  an  inhospitable  appearance,  and  the  loopholes  of 
the  fortifications  frown  sullenly  down  upon  us  as  we 
drive  to  the  railway  station  along  the  outworks  by 
the  houses  and  hotels.  But  at  length  the  fortifications 
lie  behind  us,  and  stretching  out  to  our  view  stands 
the  vine-clad  hill  of  Hochheim.  The  church  may  be 
seen  from  a  distance  in  all  directions,  as  also  its  fac- 
tory for  the  manufacture  of  sparkling  Avine,  whilst  its 
vineyards  extend  beyond  the  railway  and  slope  down 
to  the  bank  of  the  Main. 

It  is  a  noble  fruit  which  grows  up  there  on  that 
yellow,  sandy-looking  hill,  especially  that  on  the  piece 
beneath  the  church,  the  Hochheim  Deanery.  It 
glows  through  many  a  man's  veins,  and  those  who 
have  quarrelled  Avith  it  have  done  so  only  to  become 
still  more  firmly  attached  to  it  again  before  long.  A 
monument  might  indeed  be  raised  here  to  England, 
for  "  sparkling  hock,"  the  Hochheim  champagne, 
AA^hich  is  specially  prepared  for  British  palates,  is  sent 
across  the  Channel  in  enormous  quantities. 


260  THE  KHINE. 

The  majestic  proportions  of  the  Taimiis  become 
more  and  more  clearly  defined  before  us  as  we  ap- 
proach. On  the  left  yonder  lies  the  modest  Kurhaus 
of  Weilbach,  also  called  Lange-Weilbach,  on  account 
of  the  poetic  repose  which  is  met  with  there,  even  in 
the  height  of  the  season.  It  is  well  known  for  its 
sulphur  springs,  and  for  a  newly-discovered  mineral 
spring. 

Shortly  before  we  reach  Frankfurt,  at  the  Hochst 
station,  the  guard  invites  passengers  for  Soden  to 
alight,  while  a  swarm  of  children  surround  the  car- 
riages, crying  "  Bubeschenkel !  Bubeschenkel !"  a 
local  kind  of  pastry,  supposed  to  be  in  the  shape  of 
a  leg,  in  which  an  active  imagination  may  possibly 
trace  a  resemblance  to  the  intended  form.  A  little 
group  of  passengers  respond  to  the  cry  of  the  guard 
by  alighting.  These  being  individuals  either  with 
pale  faces,  on  which  are  written  a  longing  for  the 
healing  Avaters  of  Sodon,  or  else  persons  in  robust 
health,  Avith  an  enterprising,  travelling  air,  carrying 
thick  plaids  in  strong  hand-straps,  wearing  stout 
nailed  shoes,  and  holding  solid  alpenstocks. 

The  remainder  of  the  passengers,  warding  off  the 
"  Bubeschenkel,"  indulge  in  speculations  as  to  whether 
they  will  go  up  to  the  interesting  Church  of  St.  Jus- 
tinus,  erected  in  1090.  They  decide,  however,  that 
they  have  not  the  time. 

In  an  hour  we  reach  Soden,  and  with  it  the  south- 
ern spur  of  the  Taunus.     Many  invalids  are  annually 


AN  EXCURSION  TO  THE  TAUNUS,  261 

attracted  here  by  the  mild  climate,  the  tasteful  gar- 
dens, and  the  springs  containing  salt,  carbonic  acid, 
and  iron,  a  healing  fountain  for  various  ailments. 
They  gaze  with  longing  eyes  after  the  mountain 
tourists  who  start  from  this  place  on  foot,  on  horse- 
back, and  on  donkeys.  The  usual  tour  is  over 
Cronthal,  Cronberg,  Falkenstein,  and  Pfaffenstein  to 
Konigstein,  Avhere  the  first  night  is  spent ;  then  over 
the  Fuchstanz,  from  which  place  two  hours  more 
brings  them  to  the  great  Feldberg.  They  then  go 
down  over  the  Altkonig,  in  Oberursel,  and  reach  the 
table-land  of  Horaburg. 

The  Taunus  has  been  adopted  by  the  Taunus  Club 
of  Frankfurt,  who  regularly  celebrate  their  festival 
at  the  most  interesting  points.  It  is  covered  by 
thick  woods,  and  stretches  between  the  Rhine,  the 
Main,  and  the  Lahn,  for  about  a  hundred  miles,  de- 
clining on  the  southwest,  as  the  Rheingau  chain  forms 
the  boundary  between  North  and  South  Germany. 
Feldberg  is  its  highest  point,  and  is  nearly  three 
thousand  feet  above  the  sea-level ;  from  it  may  be 
seen  a  splendid  panorama  extending  over  hundreds 
of  miles  in  all  directions. 

The  metallic  wealth  of  these  mountains  once  in- 
duced speculators  to  attempt  the  working  of  the 
mines,  as  the  so-called  "  Goldgrube "  at  Homburg 
still  testifies.  They  were,  however,  not  productive 
enough  to  repay  the  trouble  and  outlay,  for  only  peat 
and  clay  were  found  to  be  plentiful.     It  is  not  until 


262  THE  KHINE. 

the  Lahn  district  is  reached  that  the  soil  yields  iron 
and  manganese.  The  mountain  district,  which  re- 
ceived its  name  from  the  Romans,  who  called  it  mons 
taunus,  is,  as  is  well  known,  very  rich  in  mineral 
springs. 

The  Celtic  race  appear  as  the  first  inhabitants  of 
the  Taunus ;  they  were  succeeded  by  the  Helvetii, 
especially  between  the  Rhine  and  the  Main;  then 
came  the  Chatti ;  and  lastly,  the  Alemanni  and  the 
Franks,  who  freed  these  mountains  from  the  Romans 
in  the  fifth  century  after  Christ.  At  the  present 
day  we  may  judge  of  the  warlike  nature  of  the 
Roman  period  from  the  Ring  or  Heathen  Walls  of 
the  plateau,  the  entrances  and  exits  of  which  formed 
the  so-called  ^'  Rennwege,"  or  courses,  whilst  the 
boundaries  of  the  Roman  domain  are  still  to  be 
recognized  in  the  ditches  fortified  with  stakes. 

In  the  Middle  Ages,  which  swept  away  the  Old 
German  districts,  the  land  was  divided  among  the 
noble  families  of  Eppstein,  Niiringen,  Falkenstein, 
Miinzenberg,  and  the  Archbishop  of  Mayence,  till  in 
the  course  of  time  the  Taunus  (with  the  exception  of 
Homburg  and  the  Wetterau)  passed  into  the  hands 
of  Nassau,  and  lastly,  in  1866,  into  those  of  Prussia. 

The  road  takes  us  uphill  over  Cronthal — a  charm- 
ing little  bathing-place  among  green  pastures — to 
Cronberg,  whose  bold  inhabitants,  supported  by  the 
banner  of  a  knight  of  the  Palatinate,  once  victoriously 
gave  battle  to  the  men  of  Frankfurt. 


AN  EXCURSION  TO  THE  TAUNUS.  263 

We  then  continue  our  way  to  the  Castle  of  the 
Knight  of  Cronberg,  built  in  the  thirteenth  century. 
Part  of  the  Castle  is  still  occupied,  and  the  old  chapel 
contains  tombstones  that  were  there  before  the  castle 
was  erected. 

Lower  down  on  the  hill  stands  the  stronghold  of 
Falkenstein  on  a  wooded  rock.  Kuno,  of  Sayn, 
whose  castle  on  the  Rhine  now  lies  in  ruins,  fell  in 
love  with  Irmingarde,  the  daughter  of  the  surly  Lord 
of  Falkenstein.  His  love  was  returned,  and  he  pre- 
sented himself  before  her  father,  asking  his  consent 
to  the  marriage.  The  old  Lord  of  Falkenstein 
smiled  grimly,  and  told  the  impetuous  lover  that  he 
would  consider  his  proposal — on  one  condition.  Kuno, 
delighted  at  what  he  considered  so  ready  an  assent, 
promised  to  do  amjtliing.  Imagine  his  despair  when 
Falkenstein  told  him  that  he  could  wed  his  daughter 
if  he  would  build  a  road  from  the  castle  to  the  valley 
beloWj  and  ride  up  it  on  his  war-horse  before  sunrise 
the  next  morning ! 

Kuno,  of  Sayn,  went  sadly  away,  for  the  castle  of 
Falkenstein  was  perched  high  on  a  rock,  and  only  a 
tortuous  path  led  down  to  the  valley,  and  he  knew 
that  it  would  take  many  men  many  months  of  hard 
labor  to  blast  and  cut  out  a  road,  and  he  had  but 
one  night  in  which  to  accomplish  the  impossible. 

Suddenly  he  was  roused  from  his  gloomy  thoughts 
by  hearing  a  little  voice  call  his  name.  He  looked 
down  and  saw  the   King  of  the  Gnomes,  who  told 


264  THE  EHINE. 

him  not  to  despair,  but  to  go  to  his  inn,  and  have  his 
war-horse  ready  for  the  morning,  and  he  and  his 
subjects  would  accomplish  the  work. 

Kuno  was  incredulous,  but  knowing  that  he  could 
effect  nothing  unaided,  he  obeyed  the  gnome,  went  to 
his  inn,  and  waited,  with  what  patience  he  could 
for  the  dawn.  Meanwhile  the  gnome  had  waved 
his  hand,  and  a  mist  rose  and  shrouded  valley  and 
hill  in  its  dense  vapor.  Out  of  it  came  thousands  of 
dwarf-like  creatures,  who  began  to  use  axes,  picks, 
and  spades  with  right  good  will. 

All  night  long  Kuno,  of  Sayn,  lay  awake  and 
heard  the  crashing  of  forest  trees,  the  breaking  of 
stones,  and  occasionally  a  long  rumbling  sound  like 
thunder.  At  dawn  he  emerged  from  the  inn,  and 
was  met  by  the  innkeeper,  who  told  him  that  a  ter- 
rible storm  must  have  raged  over  the  valley  in  the 
night.  Kuno  stayed  not  to  listen  to  the  man's  tale, 
but  called  for  his  horse,  and  rode  to  the  foot  of  the 
eminence  upon  which  rose  the  castle  of  Falkenstein. 
There  he  was  met  by  the  King  of  the  Gnomes,  who 
showed  him  a  broad  highway  leading  from  the  shore 
to  the  very  door  of  the  castle.  Kuno  thanked  him, 
and  galloped  bravely  up,  greeted  on  all  sides  by  the 
smiling  gnomes.  As  he  rode  over  the  bridge  they 
were  just  finishing,  he  looked  up  and  saw  Irmingarde 
standing  on  the  ramparts  and  waving  him  a  greet- 
ing. 

The  Lord  of  Falkenstein  could  no  longer  withhold 


AN  EXCUESION  TO  THE  TAUNUS.  265 

his  consent  to  their  marriage  |  and  as  the  triumphant 
lover  cLasped  Irmingarde  to  liis  heart,  the  sun  rose 
over  the  horizon  and  flooded  them  with  its  golden 
rays. 

Heinrich  von  Ofterdingen,  the  troubadour,  it  is 
saidj  plays  here  every  night  upon  his  harp,  and  wan- 
ders down  the  bank  of  the  Liederbach  to  the  Rhine  5 
whilst  on  the  great  cone  of  rock  yonder,  the  Alt- 
konig,  tradition  asserts  that  a  gray  mountain  manikin 
sits  and  watches  some  treasure  that  lies  hidden,winding 
at  the  same  time  his  ever-growing  beard  on  a  reel. 

On  the  heights  of  Altkonig  are  still  visible  the 
Giant  Rings,  or  the  Devil's  Walls,  which  consist  of 
two  massive  walls  formed  of  rough  stones  loosely 
piled  together,  the  exterior  of  which  is  two  thousand 
paces  in  circumference.  Three  entrances  lead  into 
this  stony  circle,  which  is  apparently  of  German 
work,  for  here  formerly  stood  the  Royal  Seat  of  the 
"  Gau-gericht,"  or  district  tribunal.  According  to 
tradition,  Ariovistus  and  Rando,  the  sons  of  the 
Alemanni,  were  once  enthroned  here. 

Feldberg  is  the  King  of  the  Taunus ;  it  commands 
the  country  round  for  a  vast  distance,  reaching  to 
Thuringia,  to  Inselsberg,  to  Hunsriick,  and  to  the 
Wasgau.  It  was  from  this  mountain  that  Queen 
Brunhilda,  waking  at  daybreak,  used  to  survey  her 
beautiful  empire,  and  on  this  account  the  precipitous 
northern  side  is  called  by  the  people  of  the  locality 
"Brunhilda's  bed." 


266  THE  KHINE. 

Tradition  asserts  that  it  was  to  the  summit  of  the 
Feldberg  that  Hermann  der  Cherusker  summoned 
the  German  heroes,  in  order  to  form  a  League  against 
the  Roman  yoke.  Feldberg  House,  which  was  com- 
pleted in  1860,  annually  entertains  the  athletic  socie- 
ties of  the  Main  and  Rhine  districts,  who  meet  here 
in  July. 

The  fortress  of  Konigstein  rears  itself  proudly  on 
its  rocky  height.  At  the  foot  of  its  throne  lies  the 
town  of  the  same  name,  the  gathering-place  of  all 
travellers  to  the  Taunus,  and  especially  of  Frankfurt 
society.  The  Lords  of  Niiringen  first  governed 
here,  then  the  Miinzenbergs,  and  lastly  the  Falken- 
steiners  and  Stolzbergers,  from  whom  it  was  wrested 
by  Mayence. 

History  mentions  Konigstein  as  early  as  1225. 
Since  then  many  calamities  have  visited  it,  and 
among  them  that  in  1793,  when  its  gloomy  walls 
were  made  to  serve  as  a  prison  for  the  clubbists  of 
Mayence.  The  interest  in  maintaining  this  splendid 
place  is  enhanced  by  the  fact  that  Konigstein  has 
become,  on  account  of  its  fine  air,  a  much-frequented 
health  resort. 

The  Duchess  Adelaide  of  Nassau  materially  as- 
sisted in  the  embellishment  of  the  town  by  building  a 
large  country  residence  in  the  immediate  neighbor- 
hood. It  must  be  somewhat  melancholy  for  the  ducal 
family  to  look  down  upon  the  beautifid  land  which 
they  have  lost ;  but  still  the  bonds  of  home-love  loosen 


AN  EXCURSION  TO  THE  TAUNUS.  267 

but  slowly,  and  tliey  consequently  appear  at  their  old 
home  every  year  in  the  early  summer. 

Every  one  Avho  is  afraid  to  attempt  the  Feldberg 
ascends  Rossert,  of  which  there  is  nothing  to  be  said 
except  that  it  is  a  great  imposing  group  of  rocks,  to 
which  the  name  of  the  "  Teufelschloss/'  or  Devil's 
Castle,  has  been  given,  on  account  of  its  weird  ap- 
pearance . 

From  here  we  have  a  splendid  view  of  Konigstein, 
Falkenstein,  and  the  ruins  which  recall  to  us  that 
mighty  race  renowned  in  history,  the  Eppsteiners. 
These  airy  strongholds  are  fortified  by  deep  abysses 
and  massive  walls  to  withstand  all  attacks,  save  that 
of  the  unwearying  enemy  Time.  Ruins  now  stand 
on  the  rock  overhanging  the  town,  which  are  clasped 
round  by  ivy,  plantain,  sloe-bushes,  and  brambles. 
Shattered  towers  and  a  broken  chapel  are  all  that 
remains  of  the  once-proud  citadel,  which  for  four  cen- 
turies kept  the  whole  neighborhood  under  its  sway, 
and  maintained  a  bitter  feud  with  the  Counts  of 
Nassau.  At  last,  the  race  of  its  lowly  rulers  dying 
out,  it  passed  to  the  dominion  of  the  Counts  of  Stol- 
berg,  from  w^hom  it  was  handed  over  to  the  electoral 
city  of  Mayence. 

Many  ghastly  remembrances  are  associated  by  the 
people  with  the  name  of  the  Eppsteiners.  Within 
the  arch  of  the  gateway  once  hung  a  colossal  skeleton 
in  chains,  supposed,  in  those  days,  to  be  that  of  a 
giant.     It  is  now  exhibited  in  the  Museum  at  Wies- 


268  THE  EHINE. 

baden  as  that  of  an  antediluvian  animal.  There  is 
another  legend  abovit  a  giant,  namely,  that  of  the 
Great  and  the  Little  Mannstein,  two  rocks  which  some 
people  fancy,  when  seen  from  a  distance,  resemble 
two  human  forms.  One  of  them  is  supposed  to  be  a 
knight  of  Falkenstein,  who  is  fighting  with  a  giant 
for  the  possession  of  his  stolen  bride. 


FEANKFURT  AND  HOMBUEG.  269 


CHAPTER    XXL 

FEANKFURT   AND    HOMBURG. 

Frankfort-on-the-Maen  owes  its  name  to  Charle- 
magne, who  one  day  wandered  far  into  the  Teutonic 
forests  to  wage  war  against  the  Saxons.  In  the  bat- 
tle that  followed  he  was  defeated,  and  forced  to  beat 
a  hasty  retreat  Avith  his  beloved  Franks.  The  coun- 
try was  unknown  to  Charlemagne — the  enemy  was 
in  close  pursuit — and,  to  make  matters  worse,  a  thick 
fog  shut  down,  so  that  they  could  not  see  where  they 
were  going. 

At  last  they  reached  the  banks  of  the  Main,  and 
knowing  that  his  small  force  would  be  destroyed  by 
the  enemy  if  they  lingered  where  they  were,  yet  not 
daring  to  cross  the  unknown  river,  Charlemagne  in 
his  perplexity  had  recourse  to  prayer.  Immediately 
the  fog  lifted,  and  the  Emperor  saw  a  doe,  followed 
by  her  young,  crossing  the  river.  Charlemagne  bade 
his  men  keep  close  behind  him,  took  the  same  way, 
and  brought  his  little  army  safely  over.  As  they 
reached  the  opposite  bank  the  fog  closed  in  behind 
them,  concealing  them  from  the  pursuing  Saxons, 
who  declared,  not  seeing  them,  that  the  Franks  must 
have  perished  in  the  Main.     Charlemagne  called  the 


270  THE  RHINE. 

place  Franconofurd  (ford  of  the  Franks),  in  com- 
memoration of  his  deliverance. 

We  now  step  out  of  that  legendary  time  into  the 
battle-field  of  the  Holy  Roman  Empire  of  the  Ger- 
man nation.  It  was  at  Frankfurt  that  most  of  the 
German  Emperors  were  chosen,  from  the  time  of 
Barbarossa.  It  was  here  that,  by  reason  of  the 
privileges  of  the  Hohenstaufens,  and  on  the  authority 
of  the  golden  bull  of  Charles  IV.,  those  powerful 
rulers  were  crowned  whose  portraits  hang  in  the 
banquet-room  of  the  Town  Hall,  which  is  called  the 
"  Romer."  These  same  anointed  heads  also  showed 
themselves  to  the  shouting  and  excited  people  on  the 
balcony,  surrounded  by  the  electoral  princes. 

Time  has  since  passed  both  joyfully  and  sorrow- 
fully over  the  town.  It  lost  and  regained  its  privi- 
leges several  times  over,  until  at  length,  after  the 
Vienna  Congress  of  1816,  it  was  chosen  as  the 
seat  of  the  German  Diet,  and  the  powdered  diplo- 
matists of  great  and  little  States  strutted  through  the 
streets. 

The  Revolution  of  1848  brought  the  dawn  of  a  new 
era  over  Frankfurt — a  stormy,  ominous  era  which 
preceded  evil.  The  National  Assembly  sat  in  the 
Church  of  St.  Paul,  and  this  body,  in  a  most  melan- 
choly manner,  lost  two  of  its  most  illustrious  mem- 
bers, namely,  Prince  Felix  von  Lichnowsky  and  H. 
von  Auerswald. 

In  1863  the  Emperor  of  Austria  fruitlessly  sum- 


FKANKFURT  AND  HOMBURG.       271 

moned  bis  Congress  of  Princes  hither.  In  1866,  the 
great  and  iinal  change  took  place  ;  General  Vogel  von 
Falkenstein  occupied  Frankfurt  with  his  army  of  the 
Main,  and  thus  it  was  incorporated  with  Prussia. 

The  political  importance  of  the  former  Free  Town, 
as  regards  its  historical  prerogatives  as  well  as  its 
geographical  situation,  was  lost  with  the  centraliza- 
tion of  the  German  imperial  interests  in  the  North 
German  capital,  and  those  who  at  first  advocated  the 
preservation  of  the  old  traditional  privileges  Avere 
obliged  to  adapt  themselves  to  moderating  circum- 
stances. 

Another  sun  rose  over  Frankfurt  in  the  year  1749, 
with  the  birth  of  Goethe  ;  and  Ludwig  Borne  claimed 
this  as  his  native  city.  Poetry  and  the  belles-lettres 
were  also  represented  in  Frankfurt  by  Clement  Bren- 
tano,  Bettina  von  Arnim,  Fr.  M.  von  Klinger,  and 
others ;  science  by  A.  von  Feuerbach,  Savigny,  J. 
G.  Schlosser,  and  a  host  of  kindred  spirits. 

The  particularly  favorable  situation  of  the  city 
caused  material  interests  to  be  even  more  in  request, 
and  the  desire  for  them  more  deeply  rooted  than  in- 
tellectual claims.  The  city  became  the  great  em- 
porium of  trade  for  South-west  Germany.  Its  Ex- 
change became  a  power  even  at  that  time,  when  the 
news  of  its  transactions  was  carried  northwards  from 
Frankfurt  and  Paris  by  pigeon  post,  and  the  greedy 
stock-jobbers  in  Berlin  strove  to  ascertain  from  the 
foam  on  the   steaming   horse  left  standing  by   the 


272  THE  EHINE. 

courier  before  one  of  the  great  banking-houses, 
whether  the  rate  of  exchange  was  likely  to  be  high 
or  low  in  Frankfurt. 

The  name  of  the  town  is  inseparably  connected 
with  those  of  Rothschild,  Bethmann,  and  others ;  and 
even  at  the  present  day  there  are  not  wanting  signs 
that  Frankfurt  will  not  be  long  before  she  restores 
herself  to  her  ancient  rights  in  the  monetary  market 
of  the  world. 

The  most  ancient  memorial  in  Frankfurt  is  the 
"  Romer,"  the  town  hall  of  the  former  free  imperial 
city.  It  was  erected  in  the  early  part  of  the  fifteenth 
century,  but  has  been  altered  many  times  since  then. 
The  "  Romerberg,"  on  which  tournaments  used  to  be 
held,  is  an  open  square  in  front  of  the  Roraer. 
Down  to  the  end  of  the  last  century  no  Jew  was 
allowed  to  enter  it. 

The  old  bridge  over  the  Main  is  a  most  picturesque 
structure  of  red  sandstone.  It  was  built  in  1342. 
On  the  middle  of  the  bridge  stands  a  statue  of  Charle- 
magne holding  the  imperial  orb ;  though  this,  indeed, 
belongs  to  a  later  period.  It  was  this  monument 
which  gave  the  honest  Sachsenhausers  the  idea  that 
Charlemagne  was  the  man  who  "  invented  Aeppel- 
wei,"  a  drink  specially  in  favor  in  Frankfurt. 

The  gilded  vane,  which  consists  of  a  cock  on  an 
iron  rod,  has  a  legendary  signification.  The  devil, 
it  is  said,  did  not  approve  of  the  building  of  the 
bridge,  and  claimed  of  the  builder  the  first  living  be- 


FRANKFURT  AND  HOMBURG.       273 

ing  that  should  pass  over  it.  This  had  to  be  granted, 
and  as  it  is  always  a  satisfaction  in  local  tradition  to 
outwit  the  devil,  a  poor,  half-starved  cock  was  driven 
over  the  bridge  directly  it  was  completed.  In  mock- 
ery of  his  Satanic  Majesty,  the  poor  creature  w^as 
afterwards  immortalized  in  the  form  of  a  gilded 
weathercock. 

Pepin,  the  father  of  Charlemagne,  is  said  to  have 
been  the  founder  of  the  Cathedral  at  Frankfurt.  The 
building  was  not  completed  until  1512.  Part  of  the 
tower  and  of  the  church  itself  was  destroyed  by  a 
great  fire  in  1867,  but  has  since  been  restored.  At 
the  time  of  the  restoration  the  cloisters  were  com- 
pleted from  old  plans,  and  the  tower,  which  had  been 
unfinished  since  1512,  was  finished  from  the  designs 
of  the  architect,  Hans  von  Ingelnheim,  which  had 
been  lying  among  the  municipal  archives  for  five 
hundred  years. 

Next  it,  in  antiquity,  are  the  churches  of  St.  Leon- 
ard, of  the  Holy  Virgin,  and  of  St.  Nicholas.  St. 
Leonard's,  begun  in  1219,  contains  a  Last  Supper  by 
Holbein  the  Elder,  and  on  the  north  tower  is  seen 
the  imperial  eagle,  bestowed  on  the  abbey  by  Lewis 
the  Bavarian  for  services  rendered  to  him  when  he 
was  under  the  papal  ban.  The  celebrated  church  of 
St.  Paul  was  not  built  until  1782. 

The  first  objects  that  attract  the  eye  of  a  stranger 
in  -walking  through  the  town  are  the  monuments  of 
Gutenberg,  Goethe,  and  Schiller.  He  will  also  visit 
Vol.  I.— 18 


274  THE  RHINE. 

Goethe's  house,  with  its  marble  tablet;  Luther's  house, 
from  which  the  Reformer  addressed  the  people  on  his 
journey  to  Worms;  the  Bethmann  Museum,  with 
Dannecker's  incomparable  Ariadne ;  the  Stadel'sche 
Art  Institute ;  Rothschild's  oi'iginal  house,  at  the 
entrance  of  the  Jews'  Street ;  the  grave  of  "  Frau 
Rath,"  Goethe's  mother,  in  the  old  churchyard ;  the 
Eschenheim  Tower,  six  hundred  years  old,  the  last 
relic  of  the  ancient  fortifications ;  the  theatre  ;  the 
Exchange  ;  the  Zoological  Garden ;  and  lastly,  the 
splendid  Palm  Garden,  with  its  wealth  of  leaf  and 
blossom. 

Sachsenhausen,  said  to  have  been  founded  by 
Charlemagne,  and  connected  with  Frankfurt  by  five 
bridges,  forms  a  populous  world  of  itself;  the  only 
particular  point  of  interest  it  possesses  is  the  house 
of  the  German  Order  which  stands  there.  The  same 
may  also  be  said  of  Bornheim  Heath,  on  which  Lich- 
nowsky  was  murdered.  As  in  most  large  towns, 
modern  times  have  added  a  new  quarter,  which  gives 
the  place  quite  a  diff'erent  appearance. 

Frankfurt  has  one  hundred  and  eighty  thousand 
inhabitants,  and  the  people  are  of  a  merry,  active 
disposition.  Strangers  are  constantly  passing  through 
their  town,  especially  in  summer.  The  river  Main, 
with  its  clear  stream,  offers  to  the  Frankfurt  societies 
a  fine  opportunity  for  Avater  sports,  such  as  regattas, 
boating,  etc.  The  woods,  in  which  the  annual  spring 
festival  is  held,  the  Taunus,  the  Bergstrasse,  and  the 


FRANKFURT  AND  HOMBURG.       275 

neighboring  towns  with  their  various  kinds  of  baths, 
are  all  visited  by  swarms  of  excursionists.  This  is 
especially  the  case  with  Homburg,  which  lies  on  a 
table-land  within  half  an  hour's  ride,  and  is  the  favor- 
ite resort  of  the  Frankfurt  people. 

Two  dynasties  have  fallen  in  the  course  of  a 
few  years  in  this  much-frequented  town,  the  one 
favored  by  Heaven,  the  other  by  the  powers  below ; 
the  one  expiring  with  the  last  Landgrave  of  Hesse- 
Homburg,  who  acted,  as  it  were,  the  prelude  of  the 
Prussian  war  policy  by  dying  in  March,  1866,  and 
giving  up  the  government  to  Darmstadt,  only  to  be 
readjusted  later  in  the  year ;  the  other  ruling  accord- 
ing to  the  caprice  of  four  kings,  and  in  vain  protest- 
ing, while  packing  up  its  rakes  and  cards,  against  the 
Parliament's  decree  of  banishment. 

The  latter  was  the  dynasty  of  Blanc  the  Gambler, 
who  was  really  the  Landgrave  here,  and  who  bore  on 
his  arms,  according  to  a  tradition  of  thirty  years  ago, 
the  device  :  "  Ici  ne  gagne  ni  rouge  ni  noir,  mais 
toujours  Slanc" 

The  Landgrave  Ferdinand  Henry  Frederick  wished 
his  capital  to  be  described  as  "  vor  der  Hohe  ;"  the 
Bohemian  population  of  the  town  called  it  "  sur 
I'abyme."  It  did  not  matter  which  name  it  bore ; 
but  the  former  has  been  preserved. 

In  Goethe's  time  the  Court  of  Homburg  was  a 
centre  of  intellectual  life.  Goethe's  "  Lila  "  was  the 
Fraulein  von  Ziegler,  a  lady  belonging  to  the  Court. 


276  THE  KHINE. 

Among  the  scholars  who  assembled  there  were  Von 
Sinclair,  Jung-Stilling,  and  Lavater,  all  of  whom  cer- 
tainly visited  the  Court  of  Homburg.  The  unfor- 
tunate poet  Holderlin  also  lived  here  after  his  sepa- 
ration from  his  beloved  Diotima. 

The  French  Revolution  drove  a  large  number  of 
the  Waldenses  to  Homburg,  and  their  descendants 
still  live  in  the  neighborhood.  The  town  was  in- 
debted for  many  undesirable  fugitives  and  guests  to 
the  closing  of  the  Parisian  gaming  hells,  and  the 
cleansing  of  the  Palais-Royal,  in  1837. 

The  proprietors  of  the  gaming-tables  at  this  period, 
with  Benazet  at  their  head,  crossed  the  frontier. 
Many  of  the  West  German  Princes  lent  a  willing  ear 
to  their  offers,  and  thus  roulette  and  trente  et  quarante 
were  established  in  Germany.  Benazet,  and  after 
him  his  nephew  Dupressoir,  ruled  in  Baden-Baden, 
and  Blanc  in  Homburg.  Both  knew  how  to  entice 
so-called  society  to  their  tables.  They  also  loaded 
the  French  journalists  with  benefits,  placing  money 
and  carriages  at  their  disposal,  well  knowing  that  the 
former  would  in  all  probability  return  the  same  even- 
ing to  their  coffers.  Things  went  on  more  respect- 
ably at  Wiesbaden  and  Ems,  whose  united  undertak- 
ing was  at  least  under  one  control. 

The  surroundings  of  the  Kurhaus  are  brilliantly 
arranged,  and  were  formerly  visited  at  every  season 
of  the  year  by  a  very  cosmopolitan  society,  for  the 
gambling  went  on  all  the  year  round.     At  the  present 


FRANKFURT  AND  HOMBURG.       277 

time  the  season  is  very  short  on  account  of  the  cHmate, 
and  the  pLace  is  empty  for  the  greater  part  of  the 
twelve  months. 

The  effect  from  the  terrace  of  the  Kurhaus  with 
its  glass  roof  is  very  magnificent,  and  there  is  a  truly 
lovely  view  of  the  pleasure-gardens  lying  at  its  foot ; 
these  are  bounded  on  both  sides  by  villas  and  board- 
ing-houses, and  crowned  by  the  verdure  of  the  woods 
in  the  background.  The  orange-trees  which  adorn 
the  banks  under  the  terrace  are  of  rare  beauty. 

The  theatre  is  an  elegant  building ;  the  Darmstadt 
company  give  performances  there  occasionally  during 
the  season.  The  castle,  which  used  to  be  the  resi- 
dence of  the  Landgrave's  family,  and  is  now  reserved 
for  the  occasional  visit  of  the  Prussian  royal  family, 
lies  on  a  hill,  surrounded  by  a  green  park.  Many 
families  of  rank  reside  in  the  numerous  villas  and 
houses  round  about. 

The  environs  of  Homburg  are  particularly  attrac- 
tive, with  fine  promenades  and  places  for  recreation 
running  out  in  various  directions.  The  air  is  pure 
and  invigorating,  and  is  always  fresh  and  clear  owing 
to  the  proximity  of  the  mountains  and  forests.  The 
mineral  springs,  as  well  as  the  advantages  of  climate 
which  Homburg  })Ossesses,  has  attracted  an  aristo- 
cratic society  to  the  place  now  that  the  gaming-tables 
have  been  removed. 

It  was,  it  is  true,  difficult  before  the  year  1872, 
which  proved  fatal  to  the  gambling,  to  judge  of  the 


278  THE  EHINE. 

society  by  the  luxury  of  their  equipages,  cand  the 
amount  of  show  and  wealth  that  was  paraded.  Ad- 
venture and  immorality  hid  themselves  here  more 
than  in  the  other  watering-places,  where  society,  in- 
deed, often  exhibited  itself  under  false  colors,  be- 
neath a  luxury  which  covered  its  inner  corruption 
and  hid  its  social  insignificance.  That  eventful  year 
brought  another  stamp  of  visitors ;  the  parvenus  of 
the  Exchange,  the  gilded  mushrooms  of  a  night's 
growth,  who  naturally  could  not  show  themselves 
without  lackeys  and  carriages,  disappeared — they 
vanished  at  the  first  touch  of  misfortune,  to  be  seen 
no  more.  The  thunderstorm  cleared  the  air  of  Hom- 
burg  society. 

The  town  itself  is  of  inconsiderable  extent,  with 
about  nine  thousand  inhabitants,  whose  industry  and 
occupations  are  principally  carried  on  for  the  advan- 
tage of  the  visitors.  Passing  over  the  bridge  from 
the  railway  station  we  enter  the  principal  artery  of 
the  town,  the  Louisenstrasse.  Here  we  see  one 
hotel  after  another,  while  the  buildings  which  are 
private  houses  are  erected  in  the  villa  style  and  are 
beautifidly  adorned  with  gardens.  These  offer  a  re- 
treat to  strangers  who  have  settled  here,  or  who  have 
come  to  use  the  waters. 

It  is  curious  to  be  here  at  the  opening  of  the  sea- 
son, after  the  long  winter  sleep,  when  the  earliest 
visitors  arrive.  The  first  cab  which  rolls  over  the 
Louisenstrasse  laden  with  luggage  makes  quite  a  sen- 


FRANKFURT  AND  HOMBURG.       279 

sation.  Heads  are  counted  as  yet  individually  ;  the 
musicians  who  throughout  the  winter  have  played  to 
a  small  select  society,  sit  ready  in  the  music  tent, 
and  gain  new  spirit  as  they  see  foreign  faces  appear- 
ing which  are  unknown  to  them  either  as  residents  or 
as  occasional  visitors.  Everything  breathes  once 
more  ;  the  hotels  fill,  slowly  perhaps  at  first,  till  the 
height  of  the  season  approaches  and  the  Spa  bursts 
into  full  blossom. 

Of  the  numerous  interesting  places  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, Ave  will  here  select  the  little  town  of  Obe- 
rursel,  with  its  Gothic  church,  built  in  the  fifteenth 
century.  This  place  had  also,  at  one  time,  an  intel- 
lectual prominence,  for  printing  was  carried  on  here 
as  early  as  1462.  Nicodemus  Frischlin's  printing- 
press,  which  was  raised  here  in  1590,  was  an  im- 
portant object  in  the  history  of  literature. 

In  the  neighborhood  of  Homburg  also  we  come 
upon  important  Roman  remains — indeed,  upon  one 
of  the  most  important  relics  on  the  Rhine  and  Main, 
the  so-called  Saalburg.  As  early  as  1830,  some  fine 
discoveries  were  made  at  Heddernheim,  among  others 
the  foundation- walls  of  a  Mithras  temple,  the  finely- 
preserved  relief  of  which  is  in  the  Museum  at  Wies- 
baden. Many  other  mutilated  relics  were  brought  to 
light  at  that  time,  and  prove  the  residence  of  the 
Roman  legions  here. 

A  Roman  military  road,  which  is  clearly  recogniz- 
able, leads  almost  directly  to  the  ruins  of  the  Roman 


280  THE  EHINE. 

citadel,  the  Saalbiirg,  where  a  little  Pompeii  might 
long  ago  have  been  laid  bare,  if  only  the  public  had 
taken  sufficient  interest  in  the  matter  to  provide  the 
necessary  funds.  Imperfect  as  the  excavations  have 
necessarily  been  vmder  the  circumstances,  having 
only  been  made  by  degrees  by  a  private  association 
formed  for  the  purpose,  this  stronghold  has  been  un- 
covered for  an  extent  of  more  than  twenty  acres ; 
the  surrounding  fortifications  of  walls  and  trenches 
have,  for  the  most  part,  been  brought  to  light ;  four 
gates  with  square  towers,  and  behind  them  the  build- 
ings surrounding  the  citadel,  which  are  tolerably 
well  preserved,  have  also  been  disclosed.  Among 
the  former  are  the  porta  prcetoria  and  the  porta  decu- 
mana. 

We  also  find  a  prsetorium  153  feet  long  and  132 
feet  broad,  wells,  bath-rooms,  mosaic  and  other  floor- 
ing, cellarage,  all  half  ruined,  and  bearing  here  and 
there  indications  of  the  mortar  which  was  on  the 
walls.  Urns  and  pitchers  have  been  found  at  the 
place  where  the  bodies  used  to  be  burnt.  Weapons 
and  coins  have  also  been  dug  up  plentifully,  and  on 
one  occasion  an  urn  containing  550  silver  pieces  was 
discovered. 

Of  especial  interest  is  the  grave-house  which  was 
erected  on  one  of  the  old  foundations,  at  a  recent  pe- 
riod, to  cover  the  graves  which  were  laid  open; 
whilst  two  years  ago  the  foundation-stone  of  a  real 
columbarium   was  laid.      The   staked  ditches  which 


FRANKFURT  AND  HOMBURG.       281 

lie  a  few  hundred  paces  off  are  also  extremely  in- 
teresting. It  is  supposed  that  this  fortress  was  built 
by  N.  C.  Drusus  in  the  year  10  B.C.,  and  that  after 
being  destroyed  from  the  Germanic  side  in  the  year 
15,  it  was  rebuilt  by  his  son  Germanicus.  Further 
excavations  would  no  doubt  supply  a  more  definite  so- 
lution of  the  history,  but  up  to  the  present  time  they 
clearly  testify  to  the  residence  in  this  place  of  the 
eighth  and  twenty-second  legions. 


282  THE  RHINE. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


THE    EHEINGAU. 


The  Rhine  !  tlie  Rhine  !  Thereon  our  vines  are  growing — 

For  ever  bless  the  Rhine  ! 
Along  its  shores  the  sunny  grapes  are  glowing, 

That  weep  this  racy  wine. 

We  now  enter  the  splendid  expanse  of  the  river, 
which  here  lies  before  us  like  a  polished  lake,  its  sur- 
face dotted  with  islands.  The  green  heights  of  the 
Bingerwald  and  Niederwald  tower  above  it  and  en- 
close it  in  the  background.  Its  waves  dance  upon 
the  shore  of  the  most  favored  and  beautiful  of  the 
German  districts.  The  sun's  rays  sparkle  in  the 
waters  5  their  reflections  kiss,  as  it  were,  the  cheeks 
of  the  maidens  who  stand  on  the  balconies  and  in  the 
shady  arbors,  merrily  greeting  with  waving  handker- 
chiefs the  steamer  which  is  passing  the  bend  in  the 
river,  leaving  behind  it  a  foamy  track.  Yonder,  in 
softly  ascending  lines,  are  the  golden-veined  vine- 
gardens  on  that  hill  so  blessed  by  heaven,  and  from 
which  the  rich  produce  goes  forth  yearly  in  such 
abundance. 

On  the  right  bank  one  little  town  stretches  itself 
out  almost  to  the  next,  the  whole  looking  like  a  string 


(Targo  IBoat  on  tbe  IRbine. 


THE  RHEINGAU.  283 

of  pearls,  penetrated  by  the  fragrance  of  tlie  vines 
and  interspersed  -with  gardens  and  villas,  Avitli  churches 
and  chapels.  In  the  background  the  vine-watchers' 
houses  seem  to  frown  down  on  the  scene,  whilst  the 
grave-looking,  Aveather-stained  crucifixes  smile  benefi- 
cently upon  the  gardens,  like  St.  Januarius  on  the 
coast  of  the  Bay  of  Naples. 

The  little  townlets  of  the  Rheingau,  with  smiHng 
aspect,  bathe  their  feet  in  the  bright  stream,  and 
cheerfid  human  beings  stroll  along  the  banks.  In 
the  snug  summer-houses  overhung  with  trailing  vines 
the  glass  filled  with  the  golden  wine  sparkles,  while 
the  humming  of  the  bees  announces  hoAv  the  grapes 
are  ripening  once  more  to  replenish  the  store  of  that 
good  wine,  which  for  thousands  of  years  has  been  a 
joy  and  a  blessing  to  those  who  know  how  to  enjoy 
its  use  without  abusing  it. 

A  gay  and  varied  company  are  assembled  on 
board  the  steamer  which  carries  us.  On  every  face 
we  read  the  poet's  words,  "  Wem  Gott  will  rechte 
Gunst  erweisen,  den  schickt  er  in  die  weite  Welt." 
It  would  be  difficult,  indeed,  to  find  a  spot  more  truly 
lovely  than  this  ;  we  never  tire  of  its  beauty.  Every 
visitor  to  these  parts,  besides  admiring  the  beauties 
of  nature,  should  watch  the  vine-dresser  at  his  heavy, 
ceaseless  work,  which  the  autumn  does  not,  however, 
always  repay.  He  should  also  see  these  slopes  when 
the  fair  bloom  lies  on  the  first  half-open  leaves ;  he 
should  mount  through  the  vineyards  when  the  grapes 


284  THE  RHINE. 

are  swelling,  and  when  autumn  tints  the  landscape. 
He  would  then,  perhaps,  better  comprehend  the  en- 
thusiasm of  this  honest,  cheerful  people ;  whose 
blood,  it  is  true,  is  sometimes  rather  too  hot  and  their 
actions  rather  too  wild,  as  it  has  been  since  the  old 
days  of  the  Rheingau  "  Gebiicks,"  when  the  club  and 
the  javelin  had  too  great  a  license  here. 

Shadows,  however,  are  not  wanting  in  this  sunny 
valley,  and  sometimes  the  vine-dresser  has  a  heavy 
and  careworn  look,  when,  in  spite  of  all  his  care,  the 
bitter  northeast  wind  has  penetrated  to  his  hill,  and 
the  frost  of  a  single  spring  night  has  destroyed  all 
the  bloom  which  foretold  for  him  so  luxuriant  a 
harvest.  The  fruit  in  this  case,  which  should  have 
been  a  source  of  pleasure  to  countless  numbers, 
being  nipped  in  the  bud,  hangs  black  and  shriv- 
elled on  the  stems  that  have  been  so  carefully 
tended. 

It  is  evening.  The  sun  declines  slowly  towards 
the  west  and  casts  its  rays  obliquely  over  the  Rhine, 
the  shore,  the  villas,  the  vine-dressers'  huts,  the  cas- 
tles and  the  fortresses — lighting  up  the  most  delicate 
soft  tints  in  the  green  wooded  mountains  and  on  the 
gray  earth  of  the  gardens,  until  it  vanishes  in  the 
haze  of  the  distant  hills. 

Yonder,  on  the  left,  a  train  is  just  steaming  past 
the  village  of  Budenheim,  behind  the  Rhein-Au  or 
Rettsbergs-Au.  On  the  right  lies  Schierstein,  the 
outer  threshold  of  the  Rheingau,  surrounded  by  fruit- 


THE  KHEINGAU.  285 

fill  vineyards  and  orchards.  The  buildings  which 
crown  the  hill  on  the  land  side  are  those  of  the  Niirn- 
berger  Hof,  on  whose  slopes  the  vine  of  the  same 
name  grows.  Near  it  is  a  place  frequented  by 
Goethe  in  1814,  and  at  its  feet  is  the  Hof  Armada. 
The  left  bank  is  uninteresting  and  bare,  whilst,  on 
the  contrary,  the  right  bank  unfolds  before  us  a  pan- 
orama in  which  every  minute  shows  a  fresh  picture. 

Lower  Walliif  lies  on  the  Waldava,  a  stream  which 
once  formed  the  boundary  of  the  '^  Gebilcks,"  a  line 
of  demarcation,  protected  by  ditches,  which  at  one 
time  reached  as  far  as  Lorch,  and  by  means  of  which 
the  Rheingau  fortresses,  towns  and  villages  sought  to 
protect  themselves  against  attack  from  without.  The 
men  of  the  Rheingau,  as  is  well  known,  held  fast  to 
their  own  independence  and  acknowledged  allegiance 
to  no  one,  so  that  even  the  great  lords  were  careful 
to  keep  on  good  terms  with  them. 

The  little  town  of  Lower  Walluf  stretches  itself 
invitingly  under  its  vine-clad  hills  right  along  to  the 
shore,  facing  which  are  the  hospitable  and  much-fre- 
quented shady  gardens  of  the  burgomaster  and  Prince 
Wittgenstein.  The  town  retains  a  mediaeval  look. 
Li  1840  it  is  mentioned  as  a  small  village,  presented 
by  the  Emperor  Ludwig  to  Adalbert,  who  added  con- 
siderably to  his  estate.  Later  it  was  held  by  the 
abbey  of  Fulda.  Though  the  space  is  small  the  little 
dockyard  is  always  full  of  life  ;  and  so  is  the  boat- 
man's inn,  with  its  barrack-like  appearance. 


286  THE  RHINE. 

On  summer  afternoons  the  shore  is  always  crowded 
with  visitors  eager  to  sail  about  on  the  river,  or  to 
make  a  journey  up  the  Rhine.  A  large  number  also 
hang  about  the  steamers  as  they  land  their  passen- 
gers, either  in  small  boats  or  at  the  pier,  while  in 
the  shady  arbors  of  the  garden  the  burgomaster 
himself  may  be  seen. 

Up  yonder,  in  the  background  above  Walluf,  where 
the  mountains  seem  to  beckon  us,  and  the  spires  of 
the  churches  peep  out  at  us  from  among  the  trees, 
lies  Rauenthal — so  called  because  it  stands  upon  the 
mountain.  Its  vineyards  stretch  down  towards  the 
Rhine,  receiving  the  full  glow  of  the  sun  that  ripens 
for  us  those  priceless  grapes  which  yield  the  wine 
that  was  crowned  Queen  of  the  Rhine  at  the  Paris 
Exhibition. 

This  distinction  is,  however,  not  acknowledged  by 
those  proud  lords,  the  princely  Abbot  of  Johannis- 
berg,  the  Master  of  Riidesheim,  the  Knight  of  Stein, 
and  the  Dean  of  Hochheim.  Since  1867  many  a 
one  has  made  a  pilgrimage  to  Rauenthal  in  order  to 
solve  for  himself  the  critical  question.  In  doing  this 
he  has  to  mount  to  the  splendid  plateau  of  the 
"  Schonen  Aussicht,"  and  look  over  that  wonderful 
district — over  that  country  on  the  other  side  of  the 
Rhine,  and  over  that  which  lies  near  him  stretching 
far  away  to  the  Wasgau. 

He  enters  the  village  and  sits  in  the  comfortable 
garden  of  the  Nassau  Hof,  where  he  orders  a  bottle 


THE  EHEINGAU.  287 

of  the  "  best/'  and  for  which,  even  at  the  fountain- 
headj  he  has  to  pay  two  thalers  at  least.  However 
low  he  may  have  doffed  his  hat  to  the  newly-anointed 
queen,  on  his  return  to  the  Rhine,  the  chances  are 
that  he  again  drinks  eternal  brotherhood  with  the 
Lord  of  Riidesheim,  and  that  he  is  equally  fickle 
when  the  princely  Abbot  of  Johannisberg  tries  to 
convert  him  as  to  his  claim  to  rule  alone  among  the 
priceless  products  of  the  grape. 

We  pass  on,  along  the  foaming  river ;  the  vine- 
hills  become  higher  and  closer  together  as  we  proceed, 
for  since  passing  Walluf  we  are  in  the  "  Gau " 
proper.  Before  us,  on  the  left,  lies  the  Eltville-Au, 
once  the  capital  of  the  Rheingau.  Before  the  town, 
on  the  right,  extends  the  most  beautiful  park,  with 
the  usual  little  castles  and  pavilions,  the  estate  of 
Jidienheim,  and  the  Castle  of  Rheinberg,  which  was 
once  called  also  Christoffelsberg,  from  a  figure  of  the 
saint  on  its  tower.  Until  a  few  years  ago  this  was 
the  property  of  the  Counts  Griinne,  but  is  now  a 
public  garden. 

The  name  of  the  place  has  been  said  to  be  derived 
from  the  Roman  alta  villa,  which  time  has  corrupted 
into  "  Eltville  ;"  but  traces  of  the  Romans  have  been 
sought  for  in  vain.  It  is  more  probable  that  Bod- 
mann  is  right  when  he  traces  the  name  from  alter 
Weikr.  The  origin  of  the  town  must,  at  any  rate^ 
be  sought  for  in  the  Frankish  period. 

During    the    residence    of    Charlemagne,    Eltville 


288  THE  RHINE. 

boasted  a  magistrate's  court,  whose  jurisdiction  ex- 
tended over  a  wide  circuit. 

From  a  small  beginning  it  became  the  principal 
place  in  the  Mayence  part  of  the  Rheingau,  and  was 
a  favorite  resort  and  refuge  to  the  archbishops  when 
Mayence  became  too  hot  for  them.  In  consequence 
of  this  the  terrible  Baldwin  of  Luxemburg  erected 
the  citadel  in  1330,  and  Louis  IV.,  on  account  of  its 
fortifications,  granted  to  the  place  the  privileges  of  a 
town. 

The  castle  and  a  portion  of  the  walls  are  still  pre- 
served, as  well  as  the  watch-tower,  although  the 
Swedes  and  the  French  have  greatly  destroyed  the 
fortress.  One  chronicle  relates  that  Giinther  von 
Schwarzburg  was  poisoned  here,  bvit  it  is  more  cor- 
rect to  say  that  he  had  the  fatal  poison  in  his  body 
when,  seeing  his  end  approach,  he  signed  a  peace 
with  his  opponent,  Charles  IV. 

Eltville  became  a  favorite  resort  for  pilgrims  when, 
in  1402,  the  miraculous  Host  was  brought  here  from 
Gladbach.  This  raised  the  town  to  a  state  of  great 
prosperity,  for  much  more  was  ventured  at  that  time 
in  the  way  of  pilgrimages  and  penances  than  now. 
The  church  of  Eltville,  which  is  built  in  the  style 
of  the  fourteenth  century,  contains  the  tomb  of 
Agnes  of  Hoppenstein,  the  wife  of  Frederick  von 
Stockheim. 

The  place  is  indebted  for  one  bright  spot  in  its 
history  to   Gutenberg's    pupil,   Henry   Bechtermiinz 


THE  KHEINGAU.  289 

(also  called  Bechtelmiinze),  who,  with  the  assistance 
of  his  brother  Nicholas  and  of  Wigaiid  Spiesz  of 
Ortenburg,  set  up  a  printing-press  here  in  the  middle 
of  the  fifteenth  century.  A  few  specimens  of  its 
work  have  been  preserved.  Simrock,  indeed,  ex- 
presses an  opinion  that  Gutenberg,  towards  the  end 
of  his  life,  settled  here  with  his  relatives,  but  noth- 
ing certain  is  known  on  the  subject  except  that  the 
neglected  grave  of  one  of  his  relatives,  Jacob  von 
Sorgenloch,  may  be  seen  in  the  churchyard. 

Eltville  at  the  present  day  is  a  favorite  resort  of 
the  wealthy  on  account  of  its  villas  and  parks.  The 
gardens  of  the  houses  join  one  another  and  form  a 
beautifol  border  to  the  shore,  and  although  no  wine 
of  Eltville  figures  in  the  list  of  the  favorites  of  the 
Rheingau,  it  has  its  factory  of  sparkling  wine  which 
competes  closely  with  champagne  both  at  home  and 
abroad. 

As  we  continue  on  our  way,  on  the  right  the  island 
of  Rheinau  rises  before  us  like  a  dark  shady  spot  out 
of  the  glittering  surface  of  the  river.  On  the  shore 
lies  Erbach,  which,  as  early  as  954,  formed  a  part  of 
the  parish  of  Eltville ;  here  we  see  the  pointed 
towers  of  the  Gothic  church  peeping  out  of  the  chain 
of  villas,  surrounded  by  the  parsonage,  the  schools 
and  a  little  garden.  These  were  all  built  in  1866, 
and  given  to  the  people  by  the  benefactress  and 
patroness  of  the  place,  the  Princess  Marianne  of  the 
Netherlands,  who  resided  here  in  her  Castle  of  Rein- 
VoL.  I.— 19 


290  THE  RHINE. 

hardshausen.  Her  castle  contains  an  interesting  col- 
lection of  paintings  and  coins,  and  is  open  to  the 
public  on  certain  days. 

Marcobrunnen,  which  belongs  to  the  same  prov- 
ince, is  hardly  distinguishable  among  the  other  vine- 
yards, for  we  seek  in  vain  for  a  monumental  sign  to 
indicate  to  us  the  wine-famed  spot  of  the  Strahlen- 
berg.  Only  a  well  of  red  sandstone,  called  the 
"  Marktbrunnen,"  or  market-well,  by  the  country 
people,  stands  by  the  highway  5  though  it  is  probable 
that  this  rather  represents  a  boundary-mark,  for  the 
vineyards  here  were,  and  still  are,  divided  between 
ecclesiastical  foundations  and  private  persons. 

The  celebrated  Steinberger  also  grows  here,  with 
similar  modesty,  on  a  slight  declivity  surrounded  by 
a  wall.  The  traveller  in  vain  seeks  the  "  Rose  Gar- 
den." He  shall  not,  however,  be  denied  one  glass  of 
the  liery  "  golden  beaker,"  but  Heaven  preserve  him 
from  some  that  bears  the  noble  name  of  Steinberger. 
It  is  impossible  that  all  so-called  can  be  grown  on 
this  field  of  hardly  eight  acres  in  extent.  The  same 
may  be  said  of  the  Griifenberger  yonder,  which  is  a 
noble  wine,  but  cannot  be  compared  with  the  Stein- 
berger. 

The  village  of  Kiedrich,  and  further  inland  the 
ruins  of  Scharfenstein  with  its  round  towers,  have 
just  come  in  sight,  and  with  them  the  Eichberg  lu- 
natic asylum,  established  in  1843.  A  great  number 
of  historic  associations   are   crowded   together  here. 


THE  EHEINGAU.  291 

and  from  yonder  Lower  Ingelheim  peers  at  us,  while 
above  us  already  towers  the  Johannisberg. 

We  must  next  mention  Kiedrich  and  Scharfen- 
stein,  and  the  long-decayed  family  of  Lowentrotz, 
the  most  powerful  noble  house  of  the  Rheingau,  rich 
in  strongholds,  with  their  different  family  branches, 
all  of  which  have  perished.  Kiedrich  appears  as 
early  as  the  tenth  century,  under  the  name  of  Cher- 
dercho,  while  Scharfenstein,  on  the  right  bank  of  the 
Rhine,  may  be  named  as  the  oldest  of  the  castles. 

It  was  decidedly  the  largest  if,  as  tradition  tells  us, 
it  sheltered  the  whole  of  the  tribe,  whose  common  in- 
terests demanded  their  cohesion.  The  family  of  the 
Scharfenstein  must  have  been  one  of  the  most 
wealthy,  and  consequently  one  of  the  most  powerful, 
since  it  possessed  the  greatest  number  of  castles  and 
fiefs. 

It  seems  that  either  the  Scharfensteins  began  with 
the  decline  of  the  lords  of  Kiedrich,  or  that  the  latter 
merged  into  the  Counts  of  Scharfenstein  when  this 
stronghold  was  given  in  fee  to  them  by  the  Arch- 
bishop of  Mayence,  whose  most  trusty  servants  they 
became.  The  chronicle  names  as  different  branches 
of  this  family,  the  Greens,  the  Browns,  the  Blacks, 
the  Gennens,  the  Eselwecks,  the  Steins,  and  the 
Crazzes  von  Scharfenstein.  Their  principal  strong- 
hold seems  to  have  been  specially  destined  to  be  a 
refuge  for  the  archbishops,  and  under  their  protec- 
tion there  were  often  great  doings  within  the  walls 


292  THE  EHINE. 

of  Scharfenstein,  till  Albert  of  Austria  appeared  be- 
fore it  in  1301,  in  order  to  besiege  it.  He  retreated, 
after  storming  it  in  vain  for  thirty  days. 

The  "  Lion  of  Luxemburg,"  also,  the  bold  Arch- 
bishop Baldwin  of  Treves — who  was  better  acquainted 
with  the  sword  than  with  the  Cross — in  vain  laid  siege 
to  Scharfenstein.  Albert  of  Brandenburg  succeeded  no 
better,  and  it  Avas  not  until  the  Swedes  came  that  the 
stubborn  walls  fell  before  an  enemy  on  whom  they 
had  not  reckoned,  namely.  Gunpowder.  Melac's 
French  incendiaries  laid  waste  what  was  left  by  the 
Swedes,  and  now  nothing  is  to  be  found  of  the  mighty 
Scharfenstein  but  a  ruin. 

Every  one  Avho  has  ever  read  a  Avine-card  knows 
Hattenheimer.  The  place  derives  its  name  from 
Hatto  IL,  who  built  it.  The  district  itself  is  only  an 
unimportant  link  in  the  chain  which  stretches,  ring 
after  ring,  along  the  bank  of  the  river. 

More  important  to  us  is  the  Cistercian  Abbey  of 
Eberbach,  lying  inland  in  its  idyllic  green  valley  half 
enclosed  by  wooded  hills,  and  the  golden  wine,  the  Stein- 
berger  Cabinet,  which  is  hidden  in  its  cellars.  It  once 
had  a  great  and  a  splendid  history,  but  it  has  experi- 
enced many  changes,  until  at  length  it  became  an 
asylum  for  the  insane,  who  were  afterwards  removed 
to  the  Eichberg.     Last  of  all  it  was  used  as  a  prison. 

Above  it  lies  the  Hallgart  rampart,  with  the  little 
village  of  Hallgarten,  on  the  slopes  of  which  the 
wine    of   the    same   name    flourishes.       A    German, 


©rape  Hrbor  in  tbe  Hnlaaen,  Coblent^. 


THE  RHEINGAU.  293 

named  Adam  von  Itzstein,  lies  buried  here :  "  a 
brave  heart/'  says  his  gravestone,  "  Aveary  of  the 
youthful  struggle  for  German  freedom  ;"  and  here  on 
his  property,  surrounded  by  his  friends,  he  planned 
out  and  prophesied  the  existence  of  the  German 
parliament. 

It  is  said  that  when  the  pious  Bernard  of  Clair- 
vaux  came  here  under  the  protection  of  Adalbert  of 
Mayence,  to  seek  a  spot  for  a  house  in  which  to  es- 
tablish his  order,  a  boar  came  out  of  the  thicket,  and 
rooting  up  the  earth  with  his  tusks,  marked  out  the 
area  which  the  saint  destined  for  his  monastery. 
Further  than  this,  the  boar  also  rolled  hither  the 
great  stones  for  the  foundation,  and  angels  brought 
the  smaller  stones  for  the  walls.  In  this  way  the 
building  for  the  pious  foundation  was  completed  in 
the  year  1116,  under  circumstances  which,  at  the 
present  day,  we  should  consider  somewhat  excep- 
tional and  favorable,  but  which  do  not  appear  to  have 
been  so  very  remarkable  in  those  periods. 

When  finished,  the  Archbishop  Adalbert  summoned 
the  Augustine  monks  into  the  monastery,  but  the 
order  of  monks  often  changed ;  for  the  walls  seem  at 
first  to  have  been  somewhat  deserted,  indicating  not 
a  little  ingratitude  to  the  angels.  The  monks,  how- 
ever, soon  took  to  wine-growing.  It  was  they  who 
had  the  finest  Marcobrunner  and  who  tended  the 
Steinberger,  so  that  the  great  cask  in  the  cellar  of 
the  monastery  of  Eberbach  had  a  world-wide  repu- 


294  THE  EHINE. 

tation.  It  was  capable  of  containing  12,000  gallons, 
and  the  entire  harvest  of  the  Steinberg  Avas  poured 
into  it  if  there  was  room. 

But  in  the  Peasant  War  of  1525,  the  Rheingau 
insurrectionists  drank  to  the  very  bottom  of  the  great 
cask  and  sacked  the  interior  of  the  monastery.  The 
industrious  monks,  as  soon  as  peace  was  restored,  set 
to  work  again  and  repaired  the  damage  that  had  been 
done,  and  worked  on  undisturbed  until  Albert  of 
Brandenburg  fell  upon  the  abbey  with  equally  insa- 
tiable thirst. 

In  the  year  1803  the  abbey  was  disestablished, 
and  the  property  given  to  the  domains  whose  noblest 
wines  the  monastery  has  since  that  time  hidden  in  its 
cellars.  The  former  refectory,  now  the  press-house, 
dates  from  the  twelfth  century,  and  still  reminds  us, 
with  its  pillars  and  capitals,  of  the  shrewd,  industri- 
ous monks  to  whom  vine-culture  is  so  greatly  in- 
debted— wise  men  of  business,  who  knew  well  how 
to  obtain  from  emperors  and  princes  free  passage  for 
their  casks  along  the  Rhine,  till  the  stress  of  war  de- 
stroyed all  their  blessings. 

The  ruins  are  still  worth  a  visit :  the  church,  dated 
1186,  with  its  monuments;  the  Cabinet  cellar,  with 
its  true  Rhine  gold,  and  the  magic  names  of  Stein- 
berg, Marcobrunner,  Riidesheim,  Grafenberg,  and 
Hallenheim !  Even  at  the  present  day,  the  annual 
sale  by  auction  of  the  wine  which  has  been  rejected 
as  being  unworthy  of  the  "  Cabinet  "  is  an  important 


THE  EHEINGAU.  295 

event  in  the  life  of  the  Rheingau.  Whoever  comes 
to  it,  be  he  buyer  or  tourist,  is  invited  to  a  "  wine 
meal,"  and  at  the  end  there  is  handed  to  him  a  sam- 
ple of  the  finest  Avino,  Avhich  does  honor  to  Eber- 
bach's  cellar  and  to  its  hospitality. 

Only  speak  to  a  native  of  the  Rheingau  of  "  wine- 
testing,"  and  his  heart  wdll  rejoice.  He  may  not, 
indeed,  be  able  to  take  part  in  the  proceedings  at 
Eberbach,  Hochheim,  or  any  of  the  finest  sources ; 
but  he  will  do  so  probably  at  a  peasant's,  at  a  vine- 
grower's,  at  the  steward's  of  the  castle,  or  at  a  rich 
wine-grower's,  who  sets  before  us  thirty  different 
sorts  of  his  produce. 

Wine-testing  is,  to  the  man  of  the  Rhine,  an  act 
of  love — we  might  almost  say  of  faith  or  religion — 
which  he  performs  with  all  his  attention  and  devo- 
tion ;  and  in  one  way  or  another  a  good  deal  is  tested 
on  the  Rhine,  not  only  at  the  auctions,  but,  indeed, 
whenever  it  is  necessary  or  agreeable  to  look  into 
the  goblet's  golden  depths. 

Johannisberg !  the  pride,  the  King  of  the  Rhein- 
gau !  The  castle  stands  on  its  vine-garlanded 
heights,  having  the  Mummische  Schloss  for  its  ped- 
estaL  At  its  feet  lie  stretched  Oestrich,  Winkel, 
and  Mittelheim,  belonging,  as  it  were,  to  one  another. 
To  the  right,  above  the  last-named  place,  is  the  Cas- 
tle of  VoUrath  ;  and  yonder,  on  the  left  bank,  on  the 
other  side  of  the  Au,  basking  in  the  sunshine,  lies 
Lower  Ingelheim,  Avhich  a  thousand  years  ago  was 


296  THE  RHINE. 

the  soiil  of  the  holy  Roman  Empire — Charlemagne's 
beautiful  palace. 

It  was  here,  in  these  halls  adorned  with  the  art- 
treasures  of  the  world,  that  the  mighty  emperor  sum- 
moned the  princes  of  his  empire  to  assemble  in  order 
to  determine  the  fate  of  nations,  if  not  of  Europe. 
It  was  also  here  that  his  own  paternal  heart  had  to 
bear  the  heaviest  of  all  trials. 

The  glory  is  faded  which  once  streamed  from  the 
mighty  imperial  crown  of  Ingelheim,  where,  perhaps, 
also  the  cradle  of  the  noblest  of  men  once  rocked. 
The  pillars  are  broken  and  decayed  which  supported 
the  most  magnificent,  the  most  imposing  of  palaces. 
All  the  splendor  has  mouldered  and  perished  to  the 
last  trace,  and  only  a  voice  from  the  Thirty  Years' 
War  tells  us,  on  a  fragment  of  crumbling  sandstone, 
that  the  hundred  pillars  which  once  adorned  the 
"Saal"  (so  this  place  is  still  called,  on  which  the 
palace  stood)  were  conveyed  hither  from  Ravenna  by 
the  Emperor  Charlemagne. 

It  woidd  be  well  if  other  stony  records  could  tell 
us  of  those  mighty  bygone  days ;  but  all  such  wit- 
nesses have  been  destroyed  by  the  rough  events 
which  have  passed  over  these  spots  during  the  course 
of  centuries.  Ingelheim  was,  next  to  that  of  Aix-la- 
Chapelle,  the  most  splendid  of  the  imperial  palaces, 
from  which  the  great  monarch  looked  over  the  love- 
liest of  German  river  valleys  to  the  Paradise  on  the 
farther  bank. 


THE  RHEINGAU.  297 

At  Ingelheim  he  promoted  the  planting  and  cul- 
ture of  the  vine,  which  the  Romans  had  already 
brought  hither  with  the  chestnut-tree.  He  also  did 
a  great  deal  for  the  cultivation  of  fruit  in  general. 

A  chronicler  of  the  reign  of  Ludwig  the  Pious  de- 
scribes the  castle  as  built  of  square  blocks  of  hewn 
stone.  It  was  of  immense  size,  and  in  the  form  of  a 
quadrangle  enclosing  a  court -yard.  Numerous  apart- 
ments were  contained  within  its  walls. 

He  speaks  especially  of  the  principal  hall.  It  must 
have  been  here  that  he  assembled  the  diet  of  788,  at 
which  Duke  Thassilo  of  Bavaria  was  deposed  from 
his  dignity.  The  Danish  king  Harold  fled  hither  in 
826,  with  his  Avife  and  faithful  followers,  and  was 
baptized  by  St.  Alban.  It  Avas  here  that  Charle- 
magne received  ambassadors,  whose  arrival  was 
celebrated  Avith  the  most  brilliant  pageants. 

It  Avas  at  Ingelheim  that  Ernest  of  SAvabia  Avas 
condemned  to  excommunication  and  outlaAA^ry  ;  and 
here  also  Henry  V.  summoned  the  diet  in  order 
to  declare  the  deposition  of  his  father  Henry  IV. — 
who  AA'as  under  the  excommunication  of  the  Pope — 
and  to  order  him  to  be  imprisoned  at  Bingen. 

The  palace,  however,  was  allowed  to  fall  to  pieces  ; 
but  Frederick  I.  restored  it,  and  made  it  his  faA'orite 
residence.  Being  again  destroyed,  it  AA'as  rebuilt  in 
1354  by  Charles  IV.,  but  only  to  be  mortgaged  to 
the  Elector-Palatine.  The  people  of  Mayence  set 
fire  to  it  durinar  the  AA'ar  between  Fredei'ick  the  Vic- 


298  THE  RHINE. 

torious  and  the  Archbishop  Adolf  of  Mayence.  The 
Spaniards  and  the  Swedes  finished  the  work  of  de- 
struction, and  in  1689  the  French  cooled  their  cour- 
age on  the  empty  ruins,  so  that  now  nothing  remains 
of  the  former  magnificent  edifice  but  the  fragments 
of  a  few  pillars  scattered  about  the  spot. 

Not  even  a  breath  of  the  spirit  of  its  great  past 
hovers  now  over  the  gardens  to  which  we  owe  the 
dark  juice  of  Ingelheim's  grapes,  and  the  traveller 
in  vain  seeks  for  a  trace  of  it.  From  the  Oestrich- 
Winkel  shore,  however,  he  will  look  up  with  a  sen- 
sation of  pleasure  at  the  majestic  hill,  the  foremost 
elevation  of  the  "  Rabenkopfe,"  where  the  renowned 
vineyards,  the  darlings  of  the  sun,  slope  down  with 
soft  undulations.  They  look,  indeed,  like  a  carpet 
surrounding  the  cloister-castle  of  Johannisberg  and 
its  surrounding  buildings. 

The  Archbishop,  Hrabanus  Maurus  lived  from  850 
to  856  in  the  gray  house  in  Winkel,  which  lies  just 
below.  With  all  his  learning  he  must  have  found 
time  to  re-establish  the  old  Roman  wine-store. 
Goethe  stayed  at  this  place  in  the  house  of  his  friends, 
the  Brentano  family,  which  still  shows  some  remem- 
brances of  him.  It  was  here  that  Bettina  wrote  her 
letters  to  him,  and  it  was  from  the  river-bank  at  this 
place  in  1806  that  the  unhappy  poetess,  Caroline 
von  Giinderode,  sought  death  in  the  waters  of  the 
Rhine  because  of  an  unrequited  attachment  for  the 
philologist  Creuzer. 


THE  RHEINGAU.  299 

III  a  retired  little  house,  almost  hidden  among  vines 
and  orchards,  Robert  von  Hornstein,  the  composer, 
spent  his  summers.  Many  of  his  popular  songs  have 
been  heard  for  the  first  time  from  that  garden-ter- 
race overlooking  the  Rhine.  No  traveller  scans  the 
heights  of  Johannisberg  without  being  tempted  to 
ascend  them,  although  the  place  is  not  so  rich  in  his- 
torical associations  as  Ingelheim.  It  presents  to  us 
in  the  main,  as  compared  with  its  pious  neighbor 
Eberbach,  only  the  allegory  of  the  idle  and  the  in- 
dustrious monks. 

The  extent  of  the  prospect  from  here,  over  to 
Mayence  and  Donnersberg,  to  the  peaks  of  the  Eifel, 
and  especially  over  the  great  river-bed  and  its  luxu- 
riant green  pastures,  is  almost  overpowering.  It  is 
a  well-known  fact  that  wherever  the  neighborhood  is 
most  beautiful,  there  stands  a  convent  or  an  inn,  or 
indeed  usually  both.  The  beauty  of  Johannisberg 
can  only  be  compared  with  that  of  Caraaldoli  at 
Naples. 

Perhaps,  next  to  Charlemagne,  we  owe  the  culture 
of  the  divine  grape  of  Johannisberg  to  the  Bishop 
Hrabanus,  for  the  hill  was  at  first  called  the  "  Bishop's 
Mountain."  After  the  well-known  persecution  of  the 
Jews  the  Archbishop  Ruthard  built  a  monastery  on 
the  mountain,  and  placed  it  under  the  Abbot  of  St. 
Alban.  He  dedicated  it  to  St.  John  the  Baptist,  per- 
haps as  an  atonement  for  the  massacre  of  the  children 
of  Israel. 


300  THE  RHINE. 

The  Archbishop  Adalbert  gave  over  Eberbach  also 
to  Johannisberg,  on  account  of  the  recklessness  and 
extravagance  of  the  monks  in  that  establishment ; 
and  it  is  curious  that  in  the  course  of  time  they 
should  so  completely  have  turned  over  a  new  leaf 
that  Eberbach  became  a  model  of  industry.  Johan- 
nisberg  then  became  independent  of  St.  Alban,  and 
was  a  free  Benedictine  abbey,  in  which  the  monks 
very  soon  had  little  else  to  do  than  to  eat  and  drink 
and  grow  fat,  whilst  in  Eberbach  moderation  and  in- 
dustry were  more  characteristic  features 

The  crimes  of  the  Abbey  of  Johannisberg  in- 
creased ;  even  the  finding  of  a  number  of  relics, 
which  were  exhibited,  did  not  suffice  to  fill  the  empty 
coffers,  and  the  scandal  became  so  loud  that  Arch- 
bishop Dietrich  commanded  an  examination  of  the 
monastery  to  be  made,  which  resulted  in  the  monks, 
who  had  not  promised  penance,  being  driven  out,  and 
others  sent  in  from  St.  Jacobsberg  to  take  their  place. 
The  revolted  peasants  plundered  Johannisberg,  and 
the  casks  of  the  monks  were  emptied  and  their  mon- 
astery laid  waste.  What  little  prosperity  was  re- 
gained in  later  years  soon  again  departed,  and  they 
were  then  obliged  to  sell  some  of  their  land. 

Thirty  years  more  had  not  passed  over  the  coun- 
try before  Albert  von  Brandenburg  and  his  wild  host 
laid  Johannisberg  under  contribution — that  was  in 
1552.  The  monks  were  insulted,  ill-treated  and 
driven  away,  their  wine  drunk,  their  church  plundered 


THE  RHEINGAU.  301 

and  the  monastery  set  on  fire.  The  spearmen  then 
retired,  but  the  monastery  was  a  ruin. 

The  Abbot  Valentine  Horn  was  too  indolent  a  man 
to  set  to  work  to  repair  the  misfortune,  but  for  the 
sake  of  his  creature  comforts  he  sold  more  land  and 
mortgaged  the  slender  rents,  until  the  Archbishop 
Daniel  of  Mayence,  in  order  to  rescue  the  monastery 
again  for  the  Benedictines,  expelled  both  the  monks 
and  their  abbot.  Daniel  himself  undertook  the  man- 
agement, but  he  also  absorbed  the  revenues. 

The  Swedes  then  came  and  left  the  monastery  be- 
hind them  in  ruins.  At  this  period  the  distress  was 
greater  than  ever,  until  Hubert  von  Bleymann  came 
forward  and  took  the  property  and  the  revenues  on  a 
mortgage  of  thirty  thousand  florins.  The  building  rose 
from  its  ruins,  and  the  cultivation  of  the  vine  Avas  in- 
creased. When  von  Bleymann  died  the  Abbot  of 
Fulda  paid  off  the  mortgage,  and,  in  1716,  took  posses- 
sion of  the  Johannisberg.  But  even  then,  there  were 
merry  days  after  the  old  fashion  in  the  monastery. 
Alexander  Kaufmann  tells  us,  in  his  well-known 
poem,  how  the  bold  Abbot  of  Fulda  came  to  Johan- 
nisberg, not  to  see  if  the  faith  prospered,  but  to  as- 
certain, personally  and  experimentally,  whether  the 
vines  were  flourishing. 

The  princely  Abbot  Adalbert  in  the  meantime 
erected  a  castle  on  the  ruins,  near  the  church  which 
still  stands.  In  1803  the  abbey  passed  into  the  hands 
of  WiUiam  of  Orange.    Napoleon  presented  it  in  1807 


302  THE  EHINE. 

to  Marshal  Kellermann  in  a  moment  of  good-humor, 
the  latter  having  cried  out,  on  seeing  it,  "  Oh  !  how 
beautiful  it  is  !"  "  Would  you  like  it  f  asked  Na- 
poleon ;  "  well,  take  it." 

In  the  year  1815  it  came  into  the  possession  of 
Austria,  while  Frederick  William  III.  would  gladly 
have  had  the  beautiful  castle  for  General  Blucher. 
When  the  qixestion  arose  among  the  Allies  as  to 
whom  it  should  be  given,  the  Emperor  Alexander 
proposed  that  it  should  be  presented  to  the  brave 
Stein.  The  latter,  however,  is  said  to  have  re- 
marked, "  No,  I  thank  your  Majesty  ;  the  receiver  is 
always  as  bad  as  the  thief!"  It  was  accordingly 
given  in  fee  to  Metternich,  who  gained  by  the  trans- 
action about  sixty  acres  of  the  most  incomparable 
vine  land,  and  about  a  thousand  acres  of  forest  and 
arable  land. 

In  the  place  where  the  monks  neglected  their  du- 
ties, and  themselves  drank  the  best  of  the  wine  in 
copious  draughts,  and  led  so  disorderly  a  life  that  no 
blessing  or  prosperity  could  enter  their  dweUing, 
careful  accounts  are  now  kept  of  the  produce  of  the 
harvest,  which  was  formerly  recklessly  sold,  or 
pledged  to  the  honor  of  Bacchus.  The  prince's  man- 
agers supply  strangers  wath  samples  for  ready  money 
at  from  three  to  fourteen  florins  the  bottle.  The 
stranger  may,  indeed,  well  depart  satisfied  with  his 
draught  and  with  a  glance  over  the  splendid  pano- 
rama before  him. 


THE  RHEINGAU.  303 

The  interior  of  the  castle  presents  nothing  specially 
interesting,  and  in  the  chapel  the  only  thing  that  de- 
serves mention  is  the  tomb  of  the  Rhenish  historian, 
Nicholas  Vogt,  who  died  in  1836.  It  was  raised  by 
his  "  friend  and  grateful  pupil,"  Prince  Metternich. 
His  heart  rests,  according  to  his  own  Avish,  in  the 
quartz  rock  in  the  Rhine  at  Bingen,  in  a  silver  case ; 
a  small  iron  cross  marks  the  spot.  A  statue  of  St. 
John  the  Baptist  stands  in  the  open  space  before  the 
church. 

The  whole  of  this  fine  property  at  present  belongs 
to  Richard  von  Metternich,  who  was  formerly  the 
Austrian  ambassador  in  Paris,  and  he  and  his  wife  re- 
side here  in  the  summer.  It  may  seem  out  of  place 
to  speak  here — and  to  him  whom  we  have  just  sup- 
posed to  have  drained  a  cup  of  the  glowing  "  sixty- 
eight  "  at  the  castle — of  the  cold-water  establishment 
in  the  village  below ;  it  may  as  well  be  mentioned, 
however,  particularly  as  many  may  have  need  of  such 
an  institution. 


Date  Due 

Fa^fUHe^ 

0^^-^^=^ 

^^ 

IICR  MAR 

31198» 

FEB  1 

3  ]'-:m 

'■'  ■;* 

Library  Bureau  Cat.  No.   1137 

3  1210  00220  9011 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


AA     001357  213       6 


>  /'Vx-a/^ 


